14 Districts, 14 Days
by Zulera301
Summary: A shining Capitol surrounded by 13 districts… a decade of Hunger Games all lasting exactly 14 days… a 14-day tour visiting the Capitol and the remaining 12 districts before returning to report on Panemian lifestyle and culture. Now, with the 100th Hunger Games looming overhead, Junichi Thatch sets out to explore how much has changed in the 25 years since the last Quarter Quell. AU.
1. Preface: The Report

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Happy New Year! in celebration of this event, I am posting this informative little piece of work, which should help to better explain the state and condition of Panem in my "Fire Without a Spark" series. While it technically takes place after the 99th Hunger Games, there are no spoilers in the first chapter, so don't worry. There might be subtle hints (foreshadowing or otherwise) about events to come, but otherwise, this is just a look at Panem's dazzling Capitol and its twelve colorful districts, and the distinct cultures that 100 years of otherwise isolation have produced. The following dozen or so chapters will take a closer look into each of the districts, and might be of varying length, and may contain spoilers of recent victors. However, you do not need to read any of "Fire Without a Spark" to understand what is going on here (nor do readers of FWAS need to read this to understand those stories. this is technically a standalone work)._

**FIRE WITHOUT A SPARK: A JOURNEY ACROSS PANEM  
PREFACE: THE REPORT  
**

In my 16 years of serving as District 12's escort, I have been on exactly two victory tours, although have also taken the time between Hunger Games to tour the other districts in order to learn more about this vast and diverse country we live in, and the vast array of colorful citizens that call Panem their home. This is an unbiased account of my observations of the twelve districts of Panem, as well as our shining Capitol, as they appear a century after the Great Rebellion that culminated in the surrender of the first twelve districts and the destruction of District 13.

My travels started in my native Capitol home, where I offer my personal views on this fine city. From there, it will take me to District 1 and go onward and outward from there. I do hope this may be useful information to someone someday, and may the odds be ever in your favor…

_~Junichi Thatch~_

* * *

The Capitol provides everything for its citizens that they could dream of, and then some. Built from and supported by the backs of the twelve districts, it is a shining beacon and the iconic city of Panem. The Capitol does not take kindly to those it sees as enemies and opposition, although it is not to say they are entirely cruel. There is a more personable side that our fine Capitol displays to its citizens, often seen during the gratuitous festivities thrown every year during the annual victory tours.

The extremely high quality of life keeps the citizens of the Capitol in chipper and upbeat moods most of the day, and they are always excited to show off their looks and fashion. Others, such as those who escort the tributes to the Capitol for the annual Hunger Games, are much more personable, and try to get to know the people of the district they serve. Such is also my own occupation.

As mentioned earlier, I have also been given the wonderful opportunity of travelling through the various districts of our find country, and thus have been able to see for myself a taste of their cultures and behavior, as well as the people who form the heart and soul of each district.

* * *

District 1 remains loyal to the Capitol, and as such, the Capitol returns the favors, with this being one of the several reasons it is Panem's richest district. They are one of the career districts, producing volunteer tributes for the Hunger Games year after year. While they specialize in luxury items, the people of District 1 are also fighters. They just happen to be able to produce some of the best-looking tributes in the meantime. No one said that they couldn't fight and look good at the same time!

Because of the well-off lifestyle and the complacence to the Capitol, there is little in the ways of unusual incidents here. The people of District 1 are proud and loyal, and are outgoing as well as confident. However, despite their toned and usually fair, slender frames, they are far from being all show and no go. 14 Hunger Games victors in 99 years is a pretty hard statistic to argue with.

Supposedly District 1 is Panem's happiest district, which would make sense given the cheerful (and sometimes slightly airheaded) behavior of its tributes or citizens, almost as if they were a younger sibling to the Capitol. Perhaps they serve as a reminder that when a district supports the Capitol, that the Capitol gives back in return, although there are disputes surrounding this claim sometimes as well. Perhaps one of the finest things to come from the district though is their famous "Red Gold", made popular by a victor from over half a century ago, and now a favorite of many of Panem's victors.

* * *

If there is any district more loyal to the Capitol than District 1, however, it would have to be District 2. Known for being the primary producer of our fine nation's Peacekeepers, District 2 is full of proud and confident citizens who respect the strong and intelligent among them, leaving little room for those who do not fit at least one of those criteria. They are the other prominent career district, and as such they do very well in the Hunger Games, producing more victors than any other district, with a total of 17 over the 99-year-long history of the games.

However, weaponry and Peacekeepers are not the only thing that District 2 is known for. Citizens from this fine district are as solid as the stone they manipulate, and are fierce, passionate fighters. An orderly, almost militaristic lifestyle leads the district to have minimal problems, and so the Peacekeepers' jobs here are considerably easy, and the Capitol rewards that loyalty with wealth and support, and thus the district is well-off. However, in an orderly atmosphere, there are also times when they let loose. It is said that District 2 parties are the best in Panem, only topped by the Capitol itself. Despite these perks, however, there is a growing trend of slight unease among the surviving victors, who seem to be coping much more difficultly than victors of the past or even from other districts. The exact nature of this trend, as well as its origins, however, are still unclear, apart from that some of these victors seem to harbor a resentment for the Capitol—a definite oddity in an otherwise rather loyal district.

* * *

What District 2 has in strength, however, District 3 has in intellect. As the tech geeks of Panem, District 3 produces some of the most intelligent citizens, and similarly, tributes in the Hunger Games. It has severed them considerably well, with 9 of the 99 Hunger Games victors calling this district their home. It is a very urban district, and rumors have it that while it connects to the same power grid as the remainder of Panem, that it also has a backup grid of its own to fuel the technological creations that come out of this unique district. District 3 has always been about doing things their way, and it is difficult to argue with the results, considering their vast accomplishments.

An oddity about District 3 is that while they often side with the career tributes in the Hunger Games, they do not seem to share the same loyalist views. In fact, they are some of the more distant people from the Capitol in terms of amiable relationships, and some dare even say 'rebellious'. They are a tactful bunch if this is actually true, however, given that the Peacekeepers only have to deal with minimal disruptive activity. Similarly, District 3 is tactical and cunning in the 'games, usually faring well even if they don't emerge as the victors. While "Career" tributes from District 3 tend to get picked off first when the career pack finally breaks up, there are many who have successfully outsmarted their career brethren, sometimes even taking the victor's crown in the process. Let it not be said that District 3 is not full of very capable fighters, even if it is not conventional combat they excel in.

* * *

Every now and again though, District 4 is sometimes considered a career district. They produce more volunteers than District 3, although both districts have had nearly the same number of victors in 99 years: 8. It appears to be a mixed bag in the sense of its tributes, producing powerful tributes that have emerged as victors or became immortalized as powerful warriors some years, and other years producing mere bloodbath fodder. They are swift on the sands, and seem to be drawn towards water. Some of them even exhibit an almost tribal-like appearance or behavior—a practice only really seen in District 12 otherwise. Despite some of their wild appearances, however, most people from here are rather mellow.

The citizenry is very similar, and are known for marching to their own beat, with many of them not even wearing shoes on the beautiful beaches of the district. They are also famous for being the only district in Panem that produces adept swimmers. Not even the other career districts can match this skill.

While there are angels and demons in every district, so to speak, one of the best ways to describe District 4 is that they are free-spirited and fun-loving individuals. This notion has also given birth to the rumor that they are on the rebellious side of things, although if they are, they are much more discreet than most of the other districts about it.

* * *

There are not really any districts that can match the mystery surrounding District 5, however. They are a well-off district, with wealth only topped by Districts 2 and 1 (and the Capitol of course), and they are a vital entity for sustaining not just the Capitol, but nearly all of Panem with the energy the numerous power plants produce. District 5 has a history of producing handfuls of cunning tributes, and many have even gone on to become victors of the games. They have produced the most victors of any non-career district, with 10 of the 99 Hunger Games victors calling District 5 their home.

The personality of this district is reflected in its tributes and victors, however. They are quiet, elusive, and cunning. Some might think that it's a miracle that this district has managed to produce so many victors when there have also been plenty of its tributes that have died in the opening minutes, but District 5 has proven that when tributes survive the bloodbath and the first several days of the arena, that they are generally a force to be reckoned with—or a force that needs to be outsmarted. They are notorious for popping in by surprise and striking like assassins. With the wealth and lifestyle that District 5 boasts, they have considerable loyalty to the Capitol—they would have to, in order for the Capitol to trust them to produce and export their power and energy.

* * *

Some things in life have to be experienced firsthand before you can truly believe in them, and the endemic that sweeps District 6 and keeps it in its grasp is one of these concepts. Drug abuse, particularly with painkillers like Morphling and "Formula 16" runs rampant throughout the district, and even the Peacekeepers are not immune to it. The story goes that some of them even take bribes for it. Whether or not this is the case remains to be seen, but since they are able to keep up with their industrial quotas, the fine citizens of District 6 are doing at least one thing right.

The tributes from this district tend to be a little off in the head because many of them start abusing these substances from an early age, but every now and again a victor emerges. 7 of the 99 victors have emerged from District 6, and so they've got a better success story than some. It is something of a surprise considering that the endemic has not improved much over the years. In fact, after one of the victors perfected a drug known affectionately as "Substance 21", the endemic has simply tightened its grip on District 6, and the drug has become increasingly popular while the victor and his twin sister continue to capitalize off of it rather well. Popular rumor suggests that District 6 is actually very rebellious, but are kept complacent because of the drug endemic they have brought upon themselves in such a large and unstable place.

* * *

District 7 has humbler origins than many of the aforementioned locales, but they remain a resilient stock that are hard to predict. Many of them are adept with axes, and especially in earlier years, they would join forces with the careers to wreak havoc. Many of them score fairly high and are obviously the most at home in forested arenas. The citizenry is similar—they can navigate the densely forested regions of their district with an almost instinctual ease, and have an acute sense of direction. This certainly has paid off in the Hunger Games, where 7 of the 99 victors call the Lumber District their home.

There remains a prominent Peacekeeper force in District 7 to watch over them, especially because enough citizens armed with axes and lumberjack tools could in fact cause a disruption, similar to a small incident that happened shortly after the 71st Hunger Games. Either way, the citizens here are a colorful crowd, and while they are not as erratic as their District 6 kin, they are clever and evasive, staying out of the Capitol's eyes just enough to not draw too much attention to themselves, but also refraining from growing too complacent to Capitol Rule. They are a fiercely independent bunch, as many of their victors demonstrate, and it is a culture that refuses to die out, no matter what any adversary tries.

* * *

If the citizenry of District 7 are colorful, District 8 is a rainbow. As the Textile District, it is no surprise that they have some of the Capitol's fashion sense—or at least a similar love of colors. Despite being from one of the more urban and lower-class districts, the crafty citizens of District 8 have left a mark of their own upon Hunger Games history, producing 7 victors in the 99 years of the Hunger Games' existence. While they are fairly fond of fashion, they do not center their lives around it the way the Capitol does, and yet they manage to still remain fairly stylish. Some of Panem's finest artists have emerged from District 8, and some of the victors have even gone on to be advisors for some of the tribute stylists.

However, beneath all of these bright colors and clothes lies a much darker secret that has kept Panem's Peacekeeping force rather strong in District 8. In the near century of Capitol rule, this form of government has never really sat well with the citizenry here, who to this day remain very rebellious. They have stepped out of line a good number of times, although order always seems to find a way of being restored, and thankfully they have not rioted or overtaken the district yet. Some of the victors and families hailing from this district are watched very carefully by the Capitol's eye to prevent anything like that from happening, but that does not change that District 8 is still a very rebellious district. Those who visit should tread carefully—they are also a very passionate bunch, which is why their dreams and ideas will never fully die.

* * *

District 9 is on the less fortunate side of things, being a fairly poor district full of farmers that seldom fare well in the games. Only 3 of the 99 victors can say they come from District 9, and the alcoholism that grips the district certainly does not help. Being able to make beer is about as well-known as the ability to grow wheat or make bread, and it serves as a keystone of their district lifestyle. While it usually spells certain death (usually in the bloodbath) for their Hunger Games tributes, let it not be said that District 9 life is terribly boring.

Coming from slender, almost breezy-looking stock, District 9 can sometimes produce a very agile or swift tribute (if they are not inebriated or addicted to booze). Similarly, their golden-skinned citizens can blend in with the amber waves of grain with considerable ease, meaning that this district could theoretically resort to some fairly gnarly guerilla warfare if they were ever to rise up. However, it seems that the alcohol keeps them sedated, and so the Capitol does not bother them much.

* * *

Perhaps the bigger mystery then, is why District 10, a place full of ranchers, farmers, and butchers, also fares rather poorly in the games, considering that only 3 victors have emerged from this locale in the 99 years of Hunger Games Panem has seen. All three of these victors had been butchers and ranchers, since the district is fairly poor and so many of the citizens take second jobs. Whatever the case, they should not be counted out too quickly—because usually when the district is ready to produce another victor, it will show—and the dangerous tribute will make him or herself very obvious.

* * *

Despite being the 2nd-poorest district in Panem, District 11 actually has a very respectable victor's pool, placing 4th overall, with 9 of the 99 victors emerging from the Agriculture District. A hardy but rebellious crowd, District 11 is well-acquainted with starvation and survival, with familiarity to trees and plants being a must in this district. Most of its tributes are burly hard-working young adults, and this is believed to be the primary explanation for how it has produced so many victors. Any time the arena or the games require a strong survival element, it is usually safe to bet that District 11 will not only survive the bloodbath, but will also thrive in the arena for a long time. Even when they don't win, District 11 tributes usually score fairly solid and place fairly high. In fact, over the last decade, no District 11 tribute has placed in the bottom twelve—a feat that can only be matched by the two notorious career districts.

These dark-skinned crowds are also, however, a rather rebellious stock, similar to District 8. Their peacekeepers are notably strict, although sometimes even they need backup against the cunning farmers of the district, who know the lay of the land much better than the visiting or newcomer Peacekeepers, and they use this edge to their advantage. District 11 is full of opportunistic people that are willing to use whatever they can around them to their advantage, and this behavior is reflected in the Hunger Games, no less. Many of them are fighters of few words, although a few individuals have some of the most golden tongues in all of Panem. In fine, District 11 knows not to mess around, and knows how to get things done, posing a threat not only to other tributes in the 'games, but even potentially to the Capitol's nigh-invincible regime.

* * *

Never, for the longest time, had anyone expected anything significant to come out of Panem's poorest district. For a while, these mysterious citizens simply lurked in the shadows of Panem, and in the darkness of the mines they worked in. District 12 is so strikingly unique that it deserves special attention. A simplistic district inhabited by darker citizens who are usually also fairly dirty, the swarthy populace of District 12 is very discreet in what they do. According to some rumors circulated by Peacekeepers, District 12 is on the verge of outright rebellion, and is often considered to be much more rebellious even than District 8. While most of the Capitol elite dismiss them as unthreatening due to their small population, they are not a people to overlook. They appear complacent due to the fairly lax Peacekeepers that watch over the place, and perhaps even the citizens understand that they are in no position to take down the Capitol themselves. Still… they possess a distinct cunning that has helped improve their Hunger Games performance in recent years, with their victor count totaling at 5 out of the 99 victors history has seen. Of those, 3 of them were in the last 25 years, which shows a bright future for the Mining District in the 'games.

District 12 has developed a very distinct personality, with the citizens enjoying the darkness and nighttime, perhaps due to their time under the earth mining coal and other materials. These tricks, as well as a much younger age now where they begin working in the dangerous mines, has familiarized the tributes and citizens with the dangers of the earth, and with a familiarity to the darkness, and the obstacles therein. Rumors have it that they are up to something big, but looming threats of a bombing from the Capitol have so far kept the plans at bay, if there were ever any to begin with. Whatever the case, District 12 is one to keep an eye on—for despite their erratic performance and almost tribal-like behavior, these people are much more cunning than they lead most outsiders to believe, and especially among the victors of the district, this trait shows rather prominently.

* * *

District 13 still lies in smoldering ruins. Perhaps the toxicity of the bombs might have worn off by now, but clearly the place is rather uninhabitable. All anyone knows now is that the closest standing district is District 12, which almost seems fitting considering the rebelliousness of the latter. However, no one dares venture there, for the Capitol knows all, and sees it all.

* * *

—_End of report, signed by Junichi Senwa Thatch, on this the 16__th__ day of the 1__st__ month, year HG100— _


	2. Prelude: The Capitol

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Yup, this is no longer a oneshot. The first/opening chapter was a nice little summary of Junichi's Panem tour, but now we're going to get the full account of what happened in each district, including the Capitol. We'll get to see familiar faces new and old, including cameos and appearances from some of our favorite characters from the books._  
_Also note that, despite a "District 14 Seal" appearing on a few items in this chapter, there is not in fact, a 14th District to Panem at all, nor will there be one (or anything higher than 13, mind you). It might, however, be the name of a certain organization, but that remains to be seen. Anyhoo, the first stop of Junichi's grand tour of Panem was none other than her own glorious home city, the Capitol itself. It was obviously not a long trip considering it was where she was from, but there was a lot to see in the Capitol. There always is._  
_Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop Prelude: The Capitol**

There was at least one similarity to the districts here—Capitol folk had a tendency to group together a bit by occupation. Hunger Games escorts, such as Junichi and her older brother, Delun Frost, were two of the dozen Capitol officials that currently worked as the Capitol representation for the districts during their annual Reaping Days. Every decade or two an escort would usually retire and be replaced, but they never forgot their old professions. Junichi was rather fond of her predecessor Effie Trinket, and was fairly good friends with the District 2 escort, a woman named Athena. Effie and Athena had retired the same year—the 83rd Hunger Games—and had been replaced by siblings Delun and Junichi.

But of course, if there was one constant about the Capitol, it was that most of them would use any excuse to throw a party, and anyone who was anyone would be there. No respectable Capitol citizen failed to attend at least two or three parties a week.

Junichi might have been more sympathetic towards the districts than most, but even she could not resist some of the allure of a good party. But if there was one thing that Junichi did oddly, it was that her fashion sense was too consistent. She always wore dark colors, a somewhat bouncy skirt, and kept her hair spiky and always blue.

Blue… Atticus LeRoni, that popular District 1 escort, would surely give her flack about it. He always did, even if it was playful. But, it was his party that Junichi was attending tonight, and so she'd have to at least listen to him.

Junichi thought of her friends in the districts—particularly 2 and 12, when she learned what the party was for. Most of the time Capitolites could get away without a reason or excuse to throw a party, but apparently Atticus had wanted this one to celebrate "A Century of Games", which Junichi knew for a surety was a reference to the Hunger Games, which, in a few months, would undergo their 100th year as the 4th Quarter Quell. The rule-change announcement had not been made yet, and Junichi was sure that there would be another thousand parties thrown all across the Capitol once it was. Quarter Quells were as good an excuse as any to don the latest bizarre fashions, socialize with similarly ditzy citizens, and gorge one's self on food only to throw it up and eat some more.

On the other hand, Junichi Thatch admitted that she was not a perfect woman by any means, and thus she had her vices as well. Perhaps it was the Capitol blood in her, but she enjoyed a bit of that, as well as sampling all of the Capitol's various delicacies. She swore that they were never made the same way twice, which, considering Capitol technology, had some feasibility behind it.

Escorts and Stylists from the Hunger Games, both past and present, attended this bash, which was certainly not the only one of its kind going on tonight. On the other hand, Junichi felt like she could potentially get out of attending this party if her stupid brother didn't hurry up.

"Delun, there is a line between being fashionably late and being awkwardly late. You are about to cross it, and then even *I* will be disappointed in you."  
"Come now, sister," Delun called out, "surely you need to put on some more make up or do your hair or fluff out your dress or something. I'm a busy man with a passion for fashion! You know this!"

"I've been ready for 40 minutes now!" Junichi retorted, "I told you to get started sooner."  
Delun popped his head out of his studio, the electric green and blue curls on his head bouncing almost garishly for effect. Junichi glanced him over once, realizing that the hair seemed to match the trend that his black and neon-purple suit was exemplifying.

"You look dazzling, Del" she admitted with honesty. He was still a bit taller than her even though she wore heels, and despite their occasional quarrels, Delun and Junichi got along fairly well.

"And so do you," he admitted, straightening the large red flower in her hair, "it's just… you wear that style every time you go anywhere! It's getting old, Jun!"

"Ah, but it's slightly different every time!" Junichi reasoned, "And I'm stubborn. I'm not changing it. You can pull my clothes off and strip me naked, and it still wouldn't work."

Delun sighed. "what are we going to do with you, sister?" he half-joked.

"Hopefully you can escort your sister to the party," Junichi quipped, and Delun finally caved.

"Alright, alright… I'm ready." He gave his sister a pat on the back. "off we go!"

The trip to Atticus' mansion was a short one, and it seemed that nearly anyone who was anyone was there. Most of the attendees were escorts and stylists both past and presence, and Junichi almost felt like the odd one out.

She did receive a compliment on her outfit from an older stylist by the name of Cinna, which promptly made Junichi tease Delun about it.

"You're consistent," Cinna explained, "and I like that about you. Your outfit speaks to others about who you are, and your consistency is one of those facets."

"Why did you ever retire?" Junichi tilted her head, "District 12 has been thriving ever since your fire displays during the 74th and 75th games with Mellark and the Everdeens ."

"I simply wished to pursue my passions a little ways from the spotlights," Cinna explained, "Amadeus and Selene do an astounding job at keeping District 12 on the map."  
"If anything," Junichi frowned, "we're a little too prominent on the map now."  
"I know what you mean," Cinna acknowledged, as if they were touching on a subject that they did not want to speak too loudly of, "they have more friends than they think though."  
"Of course," Junichi smiled. "Always a pleasure, Cinna."  
"Always," the darker-skinned man replied, before the two parted ways. Junichi cocked her head to see why Cinna had left so soon, only to notice that she was being approached by a woman with neon-purple hair and long bangs. Elegant tattoos graced her neck and exposed shoulders, disappearing behind the glamorous red and gold dress she was wearing.

"Nephenee Glitz…" Junichi's face straightened, "you needed me?"  
"I just wanted to congratulate you on your trip!" she beamed, "Cressida is intrigued to accompany you, but she doesn't seem anxious at all either. Are you nervous?"  
"Nah," Junichi chuckled, "what's there to be afraid of? Districts 2 and 5 might be fierce, but they like the Capitol well enough, right?"  
"oh, I wouldn't be worried about '5 or '2… we've entrusted '5 with our power and '2 with our military… '11 and '12 are the ones you need to worry about. I've heard rumors that District 12 wants to fracture Panem itself! What a horrible thought!"  
Junichi lightly shook her head, but kept a straight face.

"Nephenee, if you swallow every rumor you hear, your head won't ever leave the clouds."

"I just hope those Peacekeepers can keep everything under control…" Nephenee shook her head. "Things are so much calmer in District 5 where I work… I'll stay there, thank you."

"Neph, I work in District 12 year after year. They are not nearly as bad as you suggest."  
"Your stylists are always so busy though…" Nephenee exclaimed, "Kurai and Kuro never have to deal with anything that extreme in '5…"  
The two escorts continued discussing the districts (particularly District 5 and District 12) as well as a few other outrageous rumors, before Cressida appeared once again, managing to split Nephenee and Junichi apart, much to the latter's relief.

"I was wondering when you'd do that!" Junichi chuckled. "but now that we're here, a question, if I may."

"Shoot," Cressida nodded.

"What made you want to accompany me through the districts?" the blue-haired lady asked.

"Someone needs to record your adventures," Cressida chuckled, "we can't just have you slinking around Districts 11 and 12 without at least someone else from home…"  
As Cressida said this, she slipped something into Junichi's palm. Opening her hand, she saw what looked like a District Seal, except the center bore a stylized version of a woman's face, and the number 14. There was not, in fact, a 14th district of Panem (unless the Capitol counted), but Junichi seemed to understand what the significance of this coin was, and so she slipped it into her pocket.

"That they certainly cannot," Junichi chuckled, and the partying continued. Junichi socialized with everyone in one way or another, always eager for the juiciest gossip around Panem. Nephenee was not the only one who could say a thing or two about the districts, and Junichi was always curious about how the other districts fared.

Another thing that Junichi heard rumors of that she and many other Capitolites spoke of in whisperes was a change to the administration. Despite the best medicine Panem could offer, Coriolanus Snow was getting old, and could not live forever. He had celebrated his 100th birthday the year prior, and while he still seemed hale, he was a man that would almost certainly have a contingency plan in place for when his time did come. According to the rumors, it was in one of his grandchildren, a young but charismatic woman by the name of Romula. Few outside of Coriolanus' inner circle seemed to know much about Romula Snow, which of course had the citizenry of the Capitol, most of whom revered their great President, talking in rumors and whispers as to who this woman was.

Junichi simply mentally noted it, but did not react much more apart from that. She would have to learn more about this woman if she would be dealing with Capitol politics any time in her future. For now though, she was going to drink a little, and finish indulging in the delicious confections of the Capitol. Tomorrow she and Cressida would begin their journey across the 12 districts of Panem, a journey which Junichi hoped would be both useful and enlightening. She would give the Capitol their report that they had requested, but behind that, she would be keeping correspondence with certain contacts that had the districts' interests at heart. It would be quite the game.

Perhaps what excited Junichi the most about this venture was that she could get to meet many of her old victor friends again from the various Hunger Games. Junichi was no therapist, but she was very skilled at comforting most of the traumatized victors, who still had nightmares of their games years and sometimes even decades later. She felt that no one should have to live like that, and so she did what little she could with her hands so tied. This trip, she felt, might give her a bit of breathing room.

"…And there she is in dreamworld again," a voice snapped the blue-haired woman back to reality. Junichi spun deftly around on her heel to see Delun and Atticus watching her. It was in this moment that she realized that she had in fact let her mind wander, and that she had been gazing up at the magnificent ceiling, a glass of wine still in her hands. She drained the contents of the cup into her mouth before smiling at the two of them.

"Delun; Atticus;" she exclaimed, "what brings you to talk to your little sister, Delun?"  
"You and Cressida aren't the only ones excited about your little trip," Atticus beamed, "many of us here in the Capitol are excited to learn more about the hardworking people that work to serve our great nation. I'm sure many of us would be envious of your journey, although I hear some of the outer districts like 9, 11, and 12 can be a bit rough sometimes."  
"District 12 is certainly a bit rough around the edges," Junichi chortled, "I visit there every year, remember? But that's how I like it, quite frankly. I'll leave the civilized districts for the others—like my brother here in District 2."

Delun chuckled. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. District 2 is full of great people, Jun. You'll like them, I'm sure."  
"Doesn't everyone like this woman?" Atticus chuckled, "but darling… why the blue all the time? Why don't you ever change your style?"  
"Do I offend?" Junichi quipped, "or do I not look dashing?"  
"You look both!" he exclaimed, "but doing the same thing over and over…"  
"I fail to see the problem if I neither offend nor fail to look dashing." Junichi winked.  
"Acha, you have me there," Atticus slapped Junichi's back in a friendly manner (he did seem a bit tipsy, but then again, so was Junichi) "So tell me… how are the refreshments?"  
"They're rather fabulous, I dare say," Junichi cooed, her hair bouncing just slightly. "you are a terrible person for introducing me to Red Gold…"  
"Ah, but that's District 1's finest!" Atticus boomed, "made by our very own victor Miriam Luxio and her family! They're masters of the art! Do say hello to them tomorrow when you meet them."  
"I certainly will," Junichi cooed, "and perhaps buy a few bottles from them personally."  
"I can tell you a thing or two about District 1 if you'd like, since I go there every year just as you go to '12, you know…"  
"I'll save the surprise," Junichi chuckled, "besides—I've been there twice, you know. Vigo Zakatau and Aveline Togisala were both in my day as escort."

"Ha; fair enough," he chuckled. "I wish the best of luck to you on your journey."  
"You make it sound like I'm never coming back!" Junichi giggled, "it's nary a two week trip, mind you."

"Ah, but district life is so very different from Capitol life," Atticus sighed,

"I'll tell Lux and Nailah you said hello." Junichi chortled, before finally managing to shake him off.

Junichi continued to drink a bit, and fiddled with the coin she had been given by Cressida, only to be noticed by the one and only Effie Trinket, her garish, bouncy pink curls swinging with each of her elegant steps as her vivid purple lips curled into a smile.

"And here's my lovely little successor!" Effie opened her arms expectantly. Junichi hiccupped and smiled. "I apologize in advance for a lack of manners," the shorter woman indicated; Effie was not terribly vertically endowed herself, but her heels were higher and Junichi was just a rather short woman.

"Nonsense, lovely!" Effie chuckled, "you've just had a bit too much fine win. I know the look when I see it, darling!"

Junichi fiddled with the coin in her palms, leaning against the wall. "Maybe I should be headed home soon," she joked, "I wouldn't want to lose this…"  
Effie seemed to recognize the coin in her hands though.  
"You have one too?" her face lit up, "I have a large seal hanging on my wall at home… they made it out of the finest mahogany, no less!"

A part of Junichi's slightly tipsy mind mentally jotted this information down. She would have to remember it. Effie did prevent Junichi from getting any more drinks, but after giving the pink-haired woman the slip, Junichi took a few more shots of the savory liquid. It was Athena who finally noticed her and decided to take her home.

"sweetie, if you drink anymore you'll end up sprawled on the ground without a stitch on your body!" she laughed, "let's get you home for the night…"

She informed Delun of the arrangements, which gave him (and Atticus) a good laugh. As Junichi was driven home, her mind was hazily racing with the things she had learned today. Romula Snow was one of these; and the "District 14" coin was another, especially because she recognized the silhouette of the woman's face that was depicted in the center of the seal. She knew that there was more going on than just a mere tour of the districts, and while her report would merely give that impression, Junichi knew that there would be much more happening behind the scenes.

She woke up fairly early the next morning (at least by Capitol standards) and got herself ready to travel. Capitol medicine was a blessing indeed, for those anti-hangover pills worked wonders. They were often provided to victors during their Victory Tours, since there were almost always great amounts of drinking done at each stop. Junichi figured that this would also happen to her during her own "tour".

She was met by Cressida outside her apartment shortly after leaving (Delun was still snoring away), and the two promptly made their way to the train station to get the rest of the official business sorted out. Soon, the two of them and a few other Avoxes and Capitol staff members designed to assist in Junichi's tour, had boarded a train, which made a rather casually-paced journey towards the first leg of their stop: District 1.

For Junichi, this felt almost like a victory tour, except that they had gone to the Capitol first and would not be visiting District 12 out of order. The absence of Vigo or Aveline also made it feel different, but Cressida was still fairly pleasant company. The two passed the time with a strategy game and a few treats, talking about the subject at hand, which was the state of the nation.

"I think the real kicker stops are going to be '2, '5, and '12." Cressida pointed out as she moved one of her pieces, "If disruption spreads, they will be key targets for both sides, and there will likely be casualties."  
"That doesn't mean that District 1 won't have its uses though," Junichi pointed out.

"Of course" Cressida agreed, "Any District that would side with us would be good, but that's not the purpose of this campaign, is it?"  
"Oh no…" Junichi brandished that "District 14" coin, twirling it between her fingers as she used her free hand to shift one of her pieces to a different square, "this is merely testing the waters, and then giving the Capitol an abridged version of what transpired. I surely don't think Snow is going to care much about how many bottles of Red Gold I drink in District 1, or if I spar in one of District 2's training centers."

"True enough…" Cressida smirked as the train flew towards its destination, "Your move, Junichi Thatch."


	3. Stop One: District 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I plan on visiting all of the districts to give a little life to them and show what their people, cultures, and behaviors are like, particularly if it's different from the books (or in some cases, if the books don't show much of anything about district life. Anyhoo, welcome to District 1-almost like the Capitol's little nephew or something, with the similarities between it and the Capitol. However, there are a few differences, and a few of the colorful victors and citizens we meet here will hopefully help show and portray that._  
_Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop #1: District 1**

For most Capitol citizens, touring the districts was something that was best done numerically, so that it was a gradual transition from the rich, loyal districts all the way down to the poorer and much more rebellious districts. Junichi had been on two victory tours during her lifetime, for two separate victors, and so she had had a taste of the 12 districts in various situations.

District 1 was not too much different from the Capitol in many aspects. Most of the citizens were happy, and even had a prim and properness to them, even if their fashion was not as wild and garish as some Capitol styles were. Even Junichi was not afraid to admit that, considering that her own tastes were rather subdued in comparison. It was something that both she and Cressida both agreed on and 'voiced' through their choices of attire.

Perhaps Junichi had been around too many victors, because she successfully managed to get Cressida hooked on the card game "Red Maiden", which seemed to be a very popular pastime in many of the districts among their victors. It was also a nice way to pass the time as they approached the first leg of their stop: District 1. Cressida was just not a very talkative woman, preferring to stay behind the scenes and capture what footage and information she felt was vital for her purposes. Junichi knew this, and knew that it could be used to their advantage. She enjoyed socializing, but did not just ramble for the same of hearing her own voice. She'd have plenty of time for chit-chat once they got to the district and got to have a look around.

Soon enough, the train was pulling into a familiar stop—one that Junichi recognized as the beginning of the usual victory tour. Despite her visits, Junichi could not say that she knew much about any of the districts from firsthand experience, except perhaps a little about District 12 where she worked each year for the Hunger Games. Luckily, it seemed both she and Cressida had done their research.

"District 1," Cressida stoically explained to Junichi, "Most loyal district apart from '2; rich; strong; prosperous. Definitely going to need to be handled properly when the time comes"

Junichi nodded as the two stood up. the train had stopped, and it was time for them to disembark.

Once out on the platform, the two were greeted by a lanky, clean-shaven man with sleek brown hair done in a ponytail. His clothes definitely showed the man's wealth—not comparable to most Capitol classes, but definitely one of the wealthiest individuals in any of the districts.

"Ah, but if it isn't Cressida Kiya," the man held out his arms as if greeting an old friend, "and Junichi Thatch, is it? It's a pleasure to see you here. Welcome to District 1—Mayor Lucretius Solas at your service. What brings you here on this fine afternoon?"

"We're just here to have a look around," Cressida half-shrugged, cocking her head towards Junichi as if in the hopes that she would do the more proper explaining without blowing their ulterior motive.

"We are here to explore a bit of the everyday life of District 1," Junichi began, "just to learn how life is in each of Panem's diverse locales—an attempt to foster stronger relations between the districts and the Capitol, if you will."  
Most of this was actually true—but what they also intended to do was use some of this footage that Cressida was subtly obtaining through small gadgets on her person, to help foster relations between the districts—something that Snow and his inner circle had tried to prevent. There was a rebellion brewing, and the two of them were attempting to spearhead it a bit.

"What an excellent notion!" Lucretius seemed fond of the idea, "do tell those in the Capitol that we here in '1 think that this is a wonderful idea—props to the ones who came up with it."

"We will let the Travel Committee know," Junichi smiled reassuringly. Clearly Lucretius was a man who enjoyed the sound of his own voice, and so Junichi was going to try and do what she could to get him out of their hair.

"Ah…" he exclaimed, "there's someone that can help you get a good look around." He was focused on a tall, curvy woman with waist-length radiant golden curls clad in a glittery sky-blue blouse with ruffles around the wrists of the sleeves and a darker-toned miniskirt. Neither Cressida nor Junichi were attracted to women, but both of them could not help but look at how strikingly *beautiful* this woman was: Tall and slender, with long, sleek legs that disappeared under her skirts or that culminated at her ankles where a shiny pair of black flats sheltered her feet from the ground.

"Lux!" the mayor called out, getting her attention, "Lux Calameda! Just the girl I wanted to see…"  
There was a short conversation between the two where it appeared that Lucretius was trying to get Lux to be the one to give the two Capitol women "the tour", so to speak. The girl gave an exasperated sigh, but seemed to agree to whatever it was.

Junichi also knew why she could not hear this girl's voice: She was not speaking. Lucretius decided to give them both the rundown of her anyways, much to Cressida's annoyance.

"Ladies," he smiled, Lux's hand still in his, "this is our newest victor form the 95th Annual Hunger Games—Lux Calameda. She will happily show you around if you need anything, and she'll be glad to help answer any questions you might have about our fantastic district. Don't worry—she's a bit on the silent side, but she knows how to carry a conversation."  
Junichi couldn't help but give Lux a sympathetic and somewhat apologetic smile, noting that the girl was rolling her eyes at everything that Mayor was saying—clearly she had been caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, and showed no interest in being here. Luckily, Junichi knew a bit about her, and so as soon as Mayor Solas had gone his own way, Junichi turned to the taller girl.

"Sorry about that," she explained, "we're not going to try and drag you all around the district, but we do have a few things we would like to talk to you about if that's okay?"

Lux's mouth remained shut, but her hands and fingers stated moving. She was signing something, and anyone who had watched the pre-game and post-game ceremonies of the 95th Hunger Games knew why. Lux was unable to speak at all, and so she used actions and gestures to convey to others what she was trying to say.

"Can we stop by the Victor Village?" Junichi requested, causing Lux to nod before leading them through the district on a little walk. District 1 seemed to be a healthy combination of urban and rural. There were large facilities near the train station that were clearly for the district's industries: wineries, jewelers, tailors, and other such producers and manufacturers of luxury goods, which were seen around the district, and especially in the Capitol. While the remaining 11 districts might have been quite fine without District 1's industry, the Capitol saw it was one of the most important.

The farther away they got from the train station, the larger the houses seemed to get, until they reached the fringe of the central city, where the large and magnificent Victor Village was. Lux led them to one of the newer mansions, which belonged to her, before opening the door and allowing them in. She pointed to the two women, before pointing to the side of her head and then holding up 1 finger as she motioned with her other hand around her—she was asking what they thought of her home and her district.

"It's about as beautiful as I remember," Junichi smiled as Lux sat down and pulled out a sketchbook, "and while it did seem that you got dragged into this task without your consent," Cressida added, "I must say that your hospitality is admirable."

Lux motioned to the sofa behind the two ladies, inviting them to have a seat and get comfortable. There were clearly some things on the girl's mind that she hoped to be able to tell them, although at the moment Junichi was not sure what those might have been.

It was interesting to Junichi, to watch Lux. Her lips only opened when she took a drink, but so vivid were her motions and expressions that she seemed to make it very clear what she wished to talk about. Cressida helped 'narrate' for the sake of her footage, where it was revealed that while Lux was not happy with the state of things, that most of District 1's prosperity was thanks to their loyalty, which in turn resulted in Capitol benevolence. She recommended that they also speak to a Peacekeeper by the name of Janaff Zoraki. He was one of a handful of Peacekeepers from District 1, and was one of the few lucky enough to be assigned to his own district, which in turn gave him both a strong connection between his district and the Capitol, as well as a good insight on regular day-to-day District 1 life.

Lux volunteered to lead the Capitol couple to the Justice Building where Janaff was stationed, and luckily she did not have to try and introduce them.

"Well, well, if it isn't the prettiest woman in Panem!" the Peacekeeper raised his helmet, revealing himself to be an older man—a little out of Lux's age range, and so his remark was taken more as flattery rather than flirtation. "Who are these guests of yours?" He was clearly trying to appear friendly, for it did not take a genius to spot a Capitol citizen when they saw one.

"We're just here on a tour of this fine district," Junichi explained, "Junichi Thatch here, and this is Cressida Kiya. You seem rather upbeat today."

"It's always nice to see Lux looking so pretty," he admitted, causing the taller girl to blush a bit, "but in truth… it's hard not to be happy here. Maybe it's something in the air, or maybe it's just knowing how well-off everyone is here. You Capitol folk are good to us."  
"Is that a common mindset?" Cressida piped up, "do most people here agree with you?"  
"Why wouldn't they?" Janaff shrugged, "we aren't rioting every other week like '8 or wallowing in our schemes and secrets like '12."  
"And what of the victors?" Cressida continued, "they are the ones most likely to show discontent, it seems. District heroes or not, they are a rather vocal bunch, it seems."  
"Well, why not ask #95 right here?" Janaff chuckled, pointing at Lux. Lux simply shrugged and gave a little smile. She did, however, turn to Cressida, locking eyes with the tattooed woman and giving her a very distinct look that practically shouted 'I'll tell you later'. Both she and Junichi knew that Lux was not content with the status quo for some reason, and they wanted to find out. After all—it seemed that even the victors were slightly more content with their situation than they were over in the much more militaristic District 2.

"Surely you have heard of the slight discontent in District 2's Victor Village, right?" Junichi frowned, and in turn, Janaff nodded.

"There doesn't seem to be such a thing here," Janaff pointed out, "sometimes we have to drag Lucas, Nailah, or Miriam out of the wineries, but the Luxury District leads a luxury lifestyle."

Junichi mentally noted this aspect. Drinking seemed to be fairly common, but unlike most of the other districts, District 1's alcohol of choice seemed to be fine wine reminiscent of the district's personality. A few of the victors probably drank to cope with their nightmares, but most of the victors from District 1 seemed rather content. Lux was still fairly young and was the new victor on the block, and so maybe she was still trying to adjust to this new life.

They were interrupted when someone else came to meet Lux.

"Luxie!" a deep, booming voice called out. Cressida and Junichi turned to see a burly but well-groomed man approaching them. Despite his somewhat intimidating figure (notwithstanding that he was still shorter than Lux, who was very tall), he had a cheerful, friendly demeanor to him. He approached Lux with an almost hungry look in his eye, before grabbing the tall girl around the waist and lifting her in a large bear hug. Lux grunted, trying to get put back onto her feet, and eventually, the man set her down (although Junichi was fairly sure he had also squeezed Lux's butt).

"Where'd Luxie go? You were supposed to have drinking contest with Lucas today!"

Lux gestured towards Cressida and Junichi, indicating that she had been instructed by Mayor Solas to give them 'the grand tour'.

"Ah…" Lucas nodded, for the man he referred to as 'Lucas' appeared to be himself, "Lucas heard that Capitol women were in town, and so he had to pay them visit. How is District 1 for you?"

His simplistic style of speech actually made even Cressida crack a smirk. Despite how 'refined' many people portrayed District 1 as, there were still those among them that broke the mold.

"Lucas Drazen," Janaff indicated the man, "Victor of the 60th Hunger Games, and the current District 1 Drinking Champ—unless Lux dethrones him, of course." He chuckled, and Lux shook her head humbly. She mimed drinking, and then shook her head, showing that she was not much of a drinker. Unfortunately for her, Lucas caught on to her declination, and called her out on it.

"Lux can't back out now," he teased her, "Otherwise Lucas has no more to do!"

Lux sighed in defeat, and thus decided to join Lucas in his drinking expedition. However, Lucas didn't seem to want to go with just Lux.

"Where are manners?" he comically slapped his forehead, "Welcome, wonderful Capitol ladies, to District 1. My name Lucas Drazen; Hunger Games victor. Luxie show you around already,yes? Now you can watch Lucas drink everyone under table! Haha!"

"I might take him up on that offer," Junichi muttered to Cressida. "Make sure you get it if I do."  
"Wouldn't miss it," Despite Cressida's stoic tone, the idea of a drinking game seemed like a fairly interesting spectacle that she would want to watch. Besides—maybe this was how the prosperous in District 1 spent their time. Learning a bit about the different District Cultures was one of the primary purposes of this trip, after all.

"Oh!" Lucas stopped himself, "Lucas terribly rude once more. Don't know your names, pretty ladies. Who you known as?"

"Junichi Thatch," Junichi introduced herself, "and Cressida Kiya." She pointed towards her more stoic friend. "you and your district have been wonderful hosts." This was true, actually.

"And we be best hosts for times to come!" Lucas asserted with a beaming grin, "Show you great party! Lots of food; Lots of drinks; not as much as Capitol, but District 1 have lots of food anyways."  
"Damn, Lucas;" Janaff shook his head, "you make me wish I could end my shift early. Save some for me for next time, you hear?"  
"But of course!" Lucas gave the man a fond embrace as well—he was clearly a very amiable and sociable man, "Lucas always have plenty of time for binge drink! Not even Peacekeepers stop Lucas!"

Junichi raised an eyebrow, turning to Janaff. Maybe he had not heard it, or maybe a line like that in District 1 was not considered an issue given the district's loyalty to the Capitol. In places like 8, 12, or 11, that sort of thing could get a man shot on sight.

Lux tugged at Lucas' arm as if to tell him to stop dillydallying and get a move on. He laughed and kissed her hand. "Cressida and Junichi need to follow Lucas now. Drinking under the tables awaits!"

Apparently not just the victors liked getting in on this. Lucas seemed to use his great victor's wealth to throw drinking parties in one of the local buildings—a wing of a winery, to be exact. Unsurprisingly, the fabled "Red Gold" was some of the more commonly served alcohol here. Despite all the focus on wine and merriment, District 1's luxurious side showed. Their close relationship and loyalty to the Capitol was clearly an explanation for why they were able to keep a good amount of what they produced, and it showed in their architecture and interior design. The people here dressed classy, as Lux and Lucas demonstrated, (Mayor Lucretius' style of dress had almost been Capitol-worthy), and almost all of them had at least one bracelet, necklace, pair of earrings or other piece of small jewelry on their person. These were the kinds of observations Cressida made as Junichi joined Lucas and several others in the party before the actual drinking game began. The two of them socialized, feeling a similar environment to the Capitol among the populace of District 1, only with slightly more modest conditions, and theey seemed closer-knit, unlike the gossiping mouths of Junichi's Capitol home.

Soon, however, the main event began, and so Cressida made sure that she had front-row seats as Lucas, Junichi, Lux, and several others prepared to drink like there was no tomorrow. She watched, with a rather amused expression, as contestants began to drop out, or pass out. Lux saved her dignity by dropping out about midway through, racing to the nearest restroom to most likely projectile-vomit the day's food and alcohol consumption out, and Junichi lasted longer than she had expected her to. However, Lucas's superiority in this game proved true, and Junichi had to get pulled out from under the table by the end of the evening, giggling playfully.

"Junichi not do bad," Lucas laughed approvingly as they were escorted back to the train station. "Lucas give her and Cressida bottles of Red Goold for journey. Other Districts no have it Lucas don't think!" Rumors had it that there was a supply that went to District 6, but for what reason, Cressida could only guess. On the other hand, she had news for Junichi that she needed to obtain, and so as they approached the train, she waved goodbye (and also did so in Junichi's behalf) as the others dispersed and went their separate ways. It was here that Lux and Cressida were alone enough to converse about earlier. Lux obviously couldn't say anything, but instead of producing any hand gestures, she slightly lifted one side of her blouse and then fiddled with the side of her skirt—almost appearing as if she was about to take it off. Instead, however, she produced a small coin that she recognized as one of those District 14 coins that Junichi had had at yesterday's Capitol party.

"So you're not happy with things—with the connection to the Capitol then…" Cressida's voice lowered, lest anyone by chance heard them. Lux shook her head. A moment later, she imitated Lucas, indicating that he felt the same way under that jovial personality of his. Lux held up a finger, before waving her arms slowly in an arc around her. She threw her arm into the air and silently 'shouted' at some unseen entity, before turning back to Cressida with her hands close together as if she was about to close her palms. She finished her chain of gestures by putting her fist to her chest and then extending it, before whistling a little tune. Lux's body language was all Cressida needed to decode what was needed. The song was a tune originating from District 12—a verse called "The Hanging Tree". This was a surefire reminder that Lux was part of the rebellion. Her other gestures had indicated to Cressida that while most of the district was loyal, there were small patches of rebels, and that their forces remained vigilant, even if they were heavily outnumbered. She asked the golden-haired girl these things just to make sure, and with an excited smile on her face, Lux nodded. It was nice to have someone who could understand her properly without misinterpreting her.

A few moments later though, Cressida and (a still slightly drunk) Junichi boarded the train, which whizzed them away from District 1 and towards tomorrow's destination—District 2. Cressida had a few things to tell Junichi when they woke up the next morning, but for now, the compartments of the train went quiet, and the journey across Panem continued into the night…


	4. Stop Two: District 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _After nearly two months of hiatus, this story kicks back up and thus my worldbuilding tale resumes! I had to think long and hard about District 2, where there was so much to say and so much to show, but I didn't want to go overboard and ramble on about irrelevancies. Whatever the case, here is Junichi's stop in District 2, where she and Cressida are clearly up to something as they unveil life in Panem's most loyal district._  
_Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop #2: District 2**

Junichi woke up with a slight hangover due to the previous night's activities, but the Capitol had drugs for that, which worked rather efficiently. After all, how could they binge-drink to their hearts' content without consequence? Not to say that Junichi endorsed this practice, but the stop in District 1 had been a rather pleasant and interesting one, to say the least.

She woke up and got dressed, only to find that Cressida had still beaten her to it.

"Good to know you're alright," she quipped, "we're approaching District 2 now. I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say that this will probably be one of the most interesting and pivotal stops on this tour."

"Without a shadow of a doubt," Junichi agreed, "although I have to ask—what happened after I went under?" Junichi did remember drinking herself under the table, but didn't remember what had happened after that.

"Ms. Calameda gave me this." Cressida flipped the coin towards Junichi, who caught it and turned it over in her hands.

"District 14…" she muttered, "who else is in on it?"

"Lucas, Nailah, and the Luxios," Cressida indicated, "so our influence there is spread fairly thin. I don't imagine District 2 will be much different, apart from more people for a larger population."

"Korra is there though," Junichi reminded her, "That ought to count for something."  
"Korra is clever," Cressida nodded, "but she seems to know when she's outnumbered. That also means she's grown in the last 7 years. When she first won the games that poor kid couldn't hold a charade for more than a few seconds at a time."  
"What's the briefing on District 2 then?" Junichi asked, although parts of it sounded rhetorical.

"District 2," Cressida thumbed through some files, "easily the most loyal district in Panem—unlikely to rebel despite nearly the entire Victor Village being in on the District 14 Operation. This will be a very dangerous place that will only likely be able to be approached near the endgame. They are rich, strong, and connected very closely with Peacekeepers and the Capitol. It is an integral part of their culture. We will almost certainly be well-received here, by victors and loyalists alike."

"Excellent." Junichi smiled, steepling her fingers for a moment. The rest of the morning preparations went by quickly, and soon, Cressida and Junichi were pulling into the large District 2 train station. It was the 3rd largest train station in Panem, with only District 6 and the Capitol having larger.  
"You ready for a little fun," Cressida raised her eyebrows. Junichi nodded, glancing at her companion once more. She had an almost wild look to her, as if Cressida was this feral animal that could not be tamed. It was a rather calming thought, ironically. She had some fighting spirit.

As the train screeched to a halt and the two women disembarked, they found themselves stepping off the train only to meet a tall, sharply dressed woman, with a much older woman beside her.

"Ah, you two must be the Capitol crew I was told about," the younger woman commented, "Mayor Alexis Lana, at your service. Welcome to District 2." Her voice was low and sharp, with the soundings of someone who was strict but otherwise kind.

"A pleasure," Junichi shook her hand, "Junichi Thatch here, and Cressida Kiya. Who is this?" She motioned towards the older, quiet woman.

"This," Alexis smirked, "is Commander Lyme—also affectionately known around the district as Commander Badass."  
"I take it there's a story behind the Lyme's nickname?" Cressida knew Lyme as one of the past victors—she was ancient at this point, nearing 90 years of age.

"Maybe you can get it out of her," Alexis quipped, "Lyme and I just happened to cross paths. I was told to give you two the tour of District 2 unless I could find someone to do that for me."  
"Well, you're in charge of the district," Junichi politely reminded her, "I suppose it is your choice."

"I think I'll have Ms. Kazera do it," Alexis muttered, "Lyme, would you mind…?"  
"Gladly," Lyme grunted, before stumping off towards the Victor Village.

"I hope I do not offend by not accompanying you." Alexis apologized.  
"It shouldn't be a problem," Junichi assured her, "it's merely business. We're here to get detailed reports on all of the districts, and so we are mostly just here for cultural information and general behavior of the populace." This was all true, of course. Junichi had no reason to lie about that part of the objective, and it seemed that this was acceptable enough for Alexis.

"Well…" the mayor turned to them, "if you are able and willing, I will show you an integral part of the District 2 nightlife at the Justice Building tonight."

"I think we could arrange that," Junichi smirked, "I've heard the rumors."  
"There ain't no party like a District 2 Party," Alexis winked, before turning to walk away. "I will hopefully see you two tonight then—ideally around sundown."

"Got it," Cressida nodded, before turning to Junichi. "I like that woman."

"I feel like there's more to her than meets the eye." Junichi raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, I have no doubt." Cressida agreed, "and lookie here—here comes Clove."

A short, freckled woman with a ponytail and two tied off locks of hair on either side of her face approached them, a sharp object in her left hand and a smirk on her face. As she drew closer, she stowed the knife away in her coat and held out her arms.

"Junichi!" she chanted, giving the blue-haired woman a firm, friendly hug, "how's everyone's favorite therapist doing?"

"I'm doing rather well, thank you." Junichi smiled, "you seem rather cheerful today. I have not seen that from you in a long time."  
"Things have changed," Clove shrugged, "but what brings you and Cressida here?"

Clove seemed to recognize Cressida from somewhere else, and the two of them gave respectful greeting gestures to each other. Clove seemed to understand that Cressida was a woman of few words who had a tendency to stay in the back and observe. It was one of the reasons she made such a good camerawoman in various Capitol productions.

"We're on tour," Junichi chuckled, "in the hopes of fostering stronger relationships between the districts and the Capitol, we are stopping in each district for a day to learn more about what it entails."  
"Oh, I can assure you that trying to figure out the complexities of this shithole would take you a whole lot more time than half a measly day." Clove quipped, "But I imagine you know that. Still—I can give you the tour of some of our favorite places here in the masonry district. Come along…"

"Despite the Capitol hailing us as the Peacekeeper district or the Weaponry district," Clove began as she led the two ladies to the Justice Building, a place that Junichi anticipated visiting later in the evening, "there are still masons around this place, including myself." She smirked, and motioned towards two 10-foot-tall statues of a young man and a young woman that graced either side of the stage where the annual reapings were held in District 2—where each year, dozens of boys and girls raced for the stage to see who would become the next tribute for the Hunger Games.

"Chel Colorado, 91st Hunger Games…" Cressida muttered, "A fine example for anyone in Panem to follow after, wouldn't you say?"  
"Ava from District 12 would drink to that," Clove nodded, "but you're absolutely right. Even nearly a decade after her death, Chel continues to inspire people… even me."

"Never thought I'd see the great Clove Kazera showing humility," Cressida quipped.  
"This is for that one time back during the Game '94 isn't it?" Clove sighed, "you're never going to let me live that down, are you, woman?"

Cressida simply chuckled, turning towards the statue of the young man.

"…and Marcus Romero, 92nd Hunger Games…" she nodded, "a jovial-spirited fellow that we could all learn a thing or two from."

"He was a good kid too," Clove sighed, "and see, the lack of more people like that is somewhat bothersome, if you ask me. Still… Mrs. Colorado and the Romeros are good people. Amy Zavala can definitely vouch for that, if nothing else."  
"Speaking of Amy…" Junichi began, "how are things in the Victor Village? Most of the rest of the district seems to be running smoothly…"  
"Things are happening," Clove shrugged, "same as usual. I'll take you there now if you'd like. It's not really that far from here if you take the right roads."

Vehicles were more common in District 2 than in many of the other districts. It was a much larger place than District 1, and a bit more urban, but the rocky environment was also similar, except warmer since it was farther south of the Capitol rather than north of it the way District 1 was.

There were numerous large buildings, and some that looked like barracks or military bases. District 2 did house most of the training facilities for Peacekeepers. While they easily contributed the most and thus comprised the majority of Panem's Peacekeeper force, District 2 still produced less than half of Panem's Peacekeepers, meaning that there were others from the other districts that came here as well.

"We'll also have to stop by some of the tribute academies while you're here;" Clove suggested, "Competitiveness is one of the names of the District 2 game, really."  
"How does one tell the difference?" Junichi asked, "Between Peacekeeper training centers and tribute training centers?"  
"Usually the tribute training centers are a little older." Clove explained, "As the Capitol upgrades and improves Peacekeeper equipment and facilities, they move to new buildings and leave the old ones to the citizenry. Most of the time we take over and use it to train would-be tributes for the games, since most of the time the things we find there are only lightly used."

"I learn something new every day," Junichi chuckled, while Cressida quietly took notes in the background. Clove merely chuckled, taking a right and heading to a less urbanized part of the district towards a series of buttes and mesas that were off in the distance. The taller and larger buildings became scarcer and scarcer until they reached a rather magnificent-looking gate that led to Panem's largest Victor Village. It was one of two that had actually needed to be expanded (the other being District 1) due to the number of victors exceeding the number of available homes at the time. As they approached one of the homes, a tiny, dark-skinned girl was seen sitting on her porch, apparently reading something before pausing to glance up. Even her eyes lit up upon noticing Junichi, and she got up to greet the blue-haired woman.

"Long time no see, Juni," the tiny girl quipped, "how's Delun?"  
"He's the same old Delun you know and love," Junichi chuckled, "and how are you, Amy?"  
"Eh, the usual," she shrugged, "who dragged you two all the way out to District 2 and why?"

"We are here for what is called the Unity Project," Cressida spoke softly, "A program designed to help the Capitol better understand the districts."  
"So… a spy thing then," Amy's eyes narrowed.

"In a way," Cressida answered, before reaching into her pocket and pressing a coin into Amy's palm. Turning it over in her hands, Amy realized that it bore a stylized silhouette of a woman's face, and the number 14. She seemed to know exactly what this meant, and nodded approvingly.

"I suppose I should properly introduce myself then." Amy quipped, "Amy Mezkiel Zavala, victor of the 92nd Annual Hunger Games."

"Cressida Kiya," Cressida offered her hand and shook Amy's, "a pleasure."

"So…" Amy raised an eyebrow, "what do you want to know?"

"What I want to know, is where are all the men?" Cressida spoke up a moment later, realizing that almost everyone they had crossed paths with in District 2 thus far was female.

"Well, about 7 out of every 8 Peacekeepers are guys," Amy explained, "and so if they are mostly men, and most Peacekeepers come from District 2, there's a little bit of a gender disparity here, surprisingly enough. Either that, or women rule the roost here. Just ask Korra, Clove, Enobaria, or Mayor Lana if you haven't seen her already."

"Well, I suppose it would only be fair to make sure we see a few men in this district before we leave," Junichi chuckled, "Clove did mention something about the academies."  
"That's where a lot of guys end up," a young man's voice interjected. Clove whirled around to see a freckled boy with her same dark hair and facial features.

"Morton Kazera, where is your sister?" Clove reprimanded him.

"Bella's at the academy, mom. Where did you think she was?" Morton retorted.

"Then it's clear where we need to go, isn't it?" Junichi insisted. She also wanted to see Korra again, and knew that that was where she most likely was.

"Good," Clove nodded, "because raising teenagers is harder than I thought. Luckily that's another stop on our tour. There are a few places I'd like to take you after that before we call it a night. Let's go."  
Clove took Cressida and Junichi through another part of the district, with Amy and Morton in tow. Gradually the rural area faded in urbanized locales as they continued onward, passing large buildings and factories until they came to an area that almost seemed to be made entirely up of Peacekeeper facilities. Unsurprisingly, the newest ones were for actual Peacekeepers, whilethe slightly older ones were likely the tribute academies.

"Did you know that these academies are technically illegal?" Clove quipped, "technically we're not supposed to train anyone for the games, but since we're loyal or something, the Capitol is fine with turning a blind eye."

Cressida nodded to acknowledge Clove's statement, and glanced around at the buildings surrounding them. While District 1 and District 2 shared many similarities, from a happy, peaceful populace to a rich, fairly wealthy environment full of content and loyal citizens, there was more that set them apart than just the different climates. District 2 seemed more militaristic and disciplined, and the people here—men, women, and children alike—all seemed like fighters of some sort. Cressida knew that this would be a very formidable place in any conflict, which worried her considering the amount of people here that were loyal to the Capitol.

The buildings were fairly square and uniform though, keeping things simple and effective (but not dull) in contrast to the pretty, lavish architecture of District 1. The streets of District 2's urban quarters were gridlike and uniform, which made getting lost fairly difficult if one followed the signs. This and more were things Cressida made mental notes on, and also made sure her subtle body cameras captured info on. As Clove led them into one of the academies, Cressida's eyes briefly darted towards the mountains outside the district. Those would need investigation of some sort if possible.

Unsurprisingly, Junichi found herself nearly tackled into a bear-hug by Korra once they stepped inside. Korra Francisco was always one of the easiest people to spot in the training centers—physical activity was central to her lifestyle—and that of many District 2 citizens, it seemed.

"Did I miss another event," Korra paused, a large fake sword still in her hand from where she was beating down training dummies with, "or is this something new?"

"Nah… this is something new." Clove explained, "Korra, this is Cressida. Cressida, this is Korra Zerlinda Francisco, victor of the 93rd Annual Hunger Games."

"Ah, yes—few in District 14 don't know about the great Korra Francisco." Cressida exchanged glanced with Korra, who nodded understandingly. "A pleasure to meet you." The two shook hands, before Korra picked up her sword again. She was not the only one in the building by any stretch, but most people were so absorbed in their own work that few paid Korra or the Capitol women any heed apart from occasionally glancing their way. A young woman bearing a striking resemblance to Clove darted by, only for Clove to yank her hair, causing her to slip up and fall onto her back.

"You son of a…" the girl swore, trailing off as she realized what she had nearly run into.

"Isabela Kazera, what have I told you about running off without my permission?"  
"Mom, two things," Isabela retorted, "first off—are you just trying to act formal in front of your guests? Secondly—I told you I would be here. Anything Morty said is bullshit."

Clove's eyes narrowed, and they darted towards Korra and Amy, who were snickering. "See what I have to put up with?" she turned back to Isabela, "alright then, you little shit. Just make sure you check in at least every 3 hours."

"That's more like it." Isabela laughed before fist-bumping her mother. "By the way… we learned how to make those Peacekeeper grenades, just FYI." With that, she scampered off towards the back of the facility, Morton on her tail.

"Peacekeeper grenades…" Cressida mused. She was fairly certain Clove had raised two rebel children if she herself was in on the rebellion. "where would they learn about those?"  
"They probably learned it from my husband Xander when he had the kids." Clove shrugged, "he travels a lot on Capitol business, and probably stopped in District 12 or something."  
"Why does that not surprise me?" Junichi quipped, her mind working on this question just as well as Cressida's was. Unlike District 1, where she felt everyone was unabashedly open with things, District 2 seemed much more secretive and quiet, as if they were trying to hide a skeleton in the closet. In a way, she imagined that they were—as small as they were, the rebel factions were very adamantly against the Capitol, even if they remained subtle about it.

As simple as it was, the facets of District 2 life that the two Capitol women experienced were more or less a majority of the lifestyle. There were the masons, the fighters, the tributes, the victors, and the Peacekeepers, and almost everyone fell into one of those categories. Junichi learned that Peacekeeper academies were similar except with more restricted access, and so the trip there was short, ("but yeah, that's where most of the men are," Amy pointed out), and soon, nightfall was approaching.

"Alrighty—anyone 15 and under, it's time to go home." Clove announced. Morty and Bella seemed almost about to argue it, but they got a look from Clove that said not to try her. Clearly, there would be booze involved at the Mayor's party, and she did not want her teenaged children involved.

"So what's with the buildings on the mountains?" Junichi asked, noticing the lights starting to glow from the little buildings and facilities out there.

"Various military bases and operational things, really," Clove shrugged, taking them back to the Justice Building, "I'll draw you a map of them to take with you if you want."  
"That…" Junichi smirked, "would be fantastic."  
"What can I say?" Clove shrugged, "I'm a giver."

It turned out that Alexis was not lying, nor did she fail to disappoint. Men and women from all walks of District 2 were present at this party, and sure enough, alcohol was served and inhibition was thrown out the window in a lot of cases, including with Junichi. It was one of her vices, and she simply chose to embrace it.

Clove would have helped escort them back to the train that night, except that she was trashed and under a table, and so Korra did so instead. Cressida remained sober enough, but Junichi was wobbly just as she had been in District 1. This stop had been pivotal, and while simplistic in its nature, it had told them both a lot about the place.

"For 14," Korra waved them off as they boarded the train.

"For 14," Cressida repeated, as she and Junichi closed the compartment door behind them. Moments later, the train fired up and left the large station, and whizzed away down the tracks towards District 3, their stop for the upcoming morning. The tour was going well, so far. Cressida and Junichi only hoped that this would continue for the remainder of their stops…


	5. Stop Three: District 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ Welcome to District 3! We get to see a couple of cameos here, but otherwise this stop is basically a big huge rebel conspiracy. On the other hand, it makes sense considering that District 3 was one of the more rebellious districts. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing that level of camaraderie in each district-only a select few. There are loyalists in almost every district, after all. Cressida and Junichi just happen to mingle with those that aren't._  
_Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop #3: District 3**

Junichi had deliberately taken two weeks' worth of the hangover pills with her on this trip, suspecting with considerable accuracy that she would be getting wildly drunk each night as she partied it up in the different districts. She suspected the stops from here on out (except perhaps District 5) would be a lot more modest, but if her experience in the victory tours was anything to go by, she would still be having a great time even in the poor districts like 11 and 12.

This time she didn't even bother trying to get up earlier than Cressida, figuring that the level-headed activist would beat her to it each day without fail. Still, the Capitol blood in Junichi had her taking her time to make sure she was properly groomed, and even that her hair was the trademark shade of blue that it was supposed to be. While she strayed away from some of the more extreme cosmetics, Junichi had actually gotten an extensive procedure done that made her hair grow "naturally" blue, which in turn prevented her from having to use wigs or have to consistently dye it to keep the roots consistent.

"So…" she met up with Cressida in the dining car once she had finished getting dressed, "from my understanding, District 2 is still mostly staunchly loyal."  
"indeed," Cressida agreed, "but the victors are almost entirely on our side, and there are small pockets of rebels that could make District 12 blush. They know that they are outnumbered though, and District 2 isn't stupid. They're not going to make a move until the Mockingjay and the Rebellion get more momentum. '2 will definitely not be the one to kick this off."

"Very well," Junichi nodded, "and how about the briefing on District 3?"

Cressida thumbed through some papers and licked her thumb quickly. "District 3: definitely the most technologically advanced district, with only District 5 coming close. These two districts have a fairly amiable relationship, despite '3 being one of the most rebellious and '5 being one of the most loyal. They are one of the richer districts, right behind '4, and a little ways behind '5, '2, and '1. We should have moderate success here, since I imagine many of these people will be in on the District 14 operation. This should be one of our first targets apart from '12 and '8."

"Perfect," Junichi grinned, "This stop should be much easier on us than the others."  
"Provided they recognize us instead of thinking we're the ordinary Capitol louts that come their way to steal their inventions." Cressida quipped. Junichi laughed.

"Knowing District 3, they probably anticipated our arrival 3 days before we planned it." The blue-haired woman retorted, "they're a clever bunch."

"It's a good thing we're genuine then, hmm?" Cressida raised her eyebrows as the train began to slow as it pulled into the District 3 station, "we wouldn't want them thinking we were part of a revolution or anything now, would we?"

Junichi chuckled again, her red eyes meeting Cressida's for a moment. It amazed her it had taken her so long to realize that Cressida was a rather avid activist. She wondered how well she and Korra would get along when the time came. She figured it would not be too difficult though. Korra was amiable and both she and Cressida had a certain cool ferocity to them that Junichi figured would mesh well.

Soon the train had come to a complete stop, and the two women disembarked, only to be met by a short brown-haired woman with various wires and gadgets attached to her belt, and a sharper dressed woman with wild, flyaway hair that looked completely unmaintained except perhaps in terms of cleanliness. Both Capitol women recognized both of these women.

"Well, well," Junichi smiled, "it's good to see you mayor; Ikki."

"Always a pleasure." The mayor shook Junichi's hand, followed by Cressida's. "Ratchet O'Neil at your service; I was informed by a little bird that you two were on a tour of Panem and that today would be the day you toured our fine district."  
"Those little birds tell a lot." Cressida retorted, "were they Jabberjays by chance?"

"They might have been," Ratchet smirked.

"I like your style, Mayor O'Neil—and your name, for that matter." Cressida commented.  
"There are a lot of Ratchets in District 3," the mayor chuckled, "women, men, machines… mostly women though. Ratchet is apparently a popular girl's name around '3 and '6."

"Women rule Panem, you know." Cressida smirked, "I don't imagine I need examples, right, Junichi?"  
"Ha!" Junichi chuckled, "I wouldn't doubt that for even a second—especially with Romula Snow about to succeed her grandfather."  
"Ah, so the rumors were true," Ratchet nodded, "I figured as much."  
"Do you suspect that there will be big changes that come to the districts because of it?" Junichi asked.

"It depends on how much she is like her grandfather," Ratchet answered immediately.

"The apple didn't fall far from the tree at all," Junichi nodded, "so I think things will mostly remain the same if you ask me."

"Good to know," Ratchet nodded, "although I suppose we've dallied enough. "Ms. Ortolani here will be happy to give you the grand tour of the place."

"Good to see you again, Ikki." Junichi smiled, causing the shorter girl to smirk as well.

"Always a pleasure, Junichi; Cressida." She nodded, "right this way."  
District 3, much like Districts 1 and 2 before it, did have a few cars for the mayor and district governments, as well as Capitol officials who visited the place. It was clear right away as they travelled across the fairly large district that '3 was a very flashy place sporting all kinds of the newest technologies that would likely be sent to the Capitol once they were perfected.

"Honestly," Ikki quipped as she led them towards a massive, intricate building coming into view, "you two are some of the few folks from the Capitol that we wouldn't riot over. We over here in '3 keep a close eye on District 12."

"Is it because of Korra?" Junichi asked as they stopped in front of the magnificent building,  
"It is," Ikki nodded, "Most of us are on her side—especially if we can test the generators in time for the 'games. Speaking of which, welcome ladies, to The Lab"

"What is this place?" Cressida raised an eyebrow,

"This… is where I used to work before the 77th Hunger Games dragged me away," Ikki explained, "a lot of people start out here, and a lot of people remain here for life. This is where all kinds of great ideas are born. There are labs like this one all over the district, but this one is THE lab."  
It was definitely easily the biggest of the buildings to grace the vast District 3 cityscape, and it genuinely impressed the Capitol ladies, despite their being so accustomed to magnificent buildings, architecture, and technology.

"So what do they work on here?" Junichi asked, "do they specialize in anything in particular here or is it more generalized throughout the district?"  
"A little bit of both," Ikki nodded, "This is also where a lot of Gamemaker technology comes from. I dabble in plenty of that myself, and the Capitol loves it."

"how many of those kinds are there?" Cressida asked, "for the Capitol to trust people with these types of inventions I would suggest that it implies some sense of loyalty."  
"We've got folks that are loyal," Ikki admitted, "every district does, including District 8. Well, District 12 might not have any left but the Peacekeepers, but you'll find out in 9 days, I reckon."

"On the other hand," the little victor continued, "our oldest victor, Minali Otoyome, has recently made communications from a place far beyond District 12." She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, handing it to Junichi, who looked at it, smirked, and then handed it to Cressida.

All it depicted was a District 13 seal and the words "WE KNOW."

"Who knows about this?" she asked, looking up from the slip of paper before pocketing it.

"The victors, mostly," Ikki admitted, "a few of their siblings or close families, and a man named Akiyo Chandaki. He's one of the masterminds behind it."  
"Can you take us to him?" Junichi requested.

"He should be in here somewhere if I got his schedule right." Ikki muttered, before turning to the nearest technician and pulling him aside.

"You," she ordered, "tell Akiyo that Ikki needs him, pronto."

No less than 4 minutes later, a lighter-skinned man with breezy, messy black hair approached them, a smirk creeping onto his visage.

"Ah, so you must be the Capitol women I was informed of," he offered his hand, "Akiyo Chandaki; resident trauma therapist and computer technician."

"That's an awfully broad term," Junichi raised her eyebrow.

"Well, do you really want me to launch into a 3-hour long explanation full of technological lingo explaining what I *really* do? Or will this suffice?"  
Ikki turned to Junichi and shook her head. "No, you really don't want Akiyo rambling. He won't shut up if he does, and that usually turns into a problem that we can only solve with an old alcohol bottle to the head. Speaking of which, you're coming to the party, right? It might not be as fancy-pantsy as '1 or '2, but we ain't broke here in '3."  
"Look who's rambling now?" Akiyo ruffled Ikki's hair.

"I get to ramble," Ikki corrected him, "Mayor O'Neil nominated me to be the tour guide of this little event, and so here I am."

"I'm game for a party tonight," Junichi nodded, "Justice Building; Mayor hosting, correct?"  
"Clearly that's what happened in your first two stops," Ikki nodded, "But aye; otherwise you're correct. In the meantime though, we're taking you and Akiyo to Akiyo's favorite place in the district—the Victor Village. District 3 isn't just about Ikki Ortolani here."

The cityscape of District 3 had a modern feel to it—a decade or two behind the Capitol, but still several in front of most of the other districts apart from '5 and maybe '6. The buildings seemed to mostly be square, but were less uniform than those in '2 and also much brighter-colored; using shades of white and grey more than greys, blacks, and browns of District 2.

The Victor Village was not as large as Districts 1 or 2, since they were not career tributes, but 8 victors in the last century had called District 3 their home, and so there was considerable activity since many of them still had some family.

A couple of the occupants from two different houses emerged to see what the commotion was, only to see Akiyo, Ikki, Junichi, and Cressida approaching. Both of them approached independently of each other, where Ikki did a little more introducing.

"Ladies," she smiled, pointing to the teenager first, "this is Shigeru Lombardi, 98th Hunger Games; and this is Ian Nelson, 88th Hunger Games." She pointed at the slightly older of the two.

"So," Junichi cut straight to the chase, "I suppose you know why we are here."  
"That sounds about right," Shigeru nodded, "here, you all can come in. There's plenty of room in Shigeru's shack, and there's cards on the table.

Surprisingly enough, Shigeru, Ikki, Ian, and Junichi got into a card game while Akiyo and Cressida discussed the state of things around the district.

"There's something big going on with the victors, and in the Labs," he explained. Junichi was the people-person. Cressida was the activist that saw ways to spread the revolution's influence.

"Perhaps Ikki will take you to the Generators after a little R&amp;R here," Akiyo explained, "for one thing, we've had an emergency power supply here for decades in case of power failures, but now, with the help of a couple old victors named Wiress and Beetee, we've been upgrading it to become a more efficient power-unit."

"What I'm curious about," Cressida spoke up, "Is something that Ratchet said about little birds."  
"Oh, we have lots of little birds around here," Akiyo smirked, "it's surprising what a little reprogramming is capable of doing."  
"So you have actual Jabberjays then?" Cressida tilted her head, her wild hair falling to one side.

"Aye," Akiyo nodded, "And mockingbirds too… so there's been a recent influx of Mockingjays around Districts 12, 6, and 8—all of the ones surrounding us."

"But there's an obvious weakness, isn't there?" Cressida pointed out, "what if the Capitol intercepts them and does to them what the districts did during the First Rebellion?"  
"That's a kink we're still ironing out," Akiyo admitted, "but we thought of that, and are working on it, no less. We're thinking something along the lines of an activation mechanism, but I would have to check back in with the staff at The Lab for the full report."  
"Do keep me posted if at all possible," Cressida smirked, "that is a project that I take great interest in."  
"Who am I to say no to the whims of a Capitol citizen?" Akiyo smirked with a wink.

While the two of them spoke about the Jabberjays, Junichi discussed schematics with Ian, Ikki, and Shigeru. The youngest of the three seemed to have a lot of know-how on his mind.

"So has Ikki taken you two to see the Generator yet?" Shigeru turned to Junichi as their game began to wrap up, "because if she hasn't…"

"which one?" Junichi fell for the question.

"oh, it's not actually a generator," Ian smirked, "it's *THE* generator. It's a huge expansion project on one of our old power plants. It's where a lot of our old victors go to work nowadays. We're the restless type if we aren't tinkering with something, here in '3."

"Then it's clear where we need to go next." Junichi nodded. The citizens of District 3 seemed very open to her, much like District 1. While '1 was shamelessly extravagant and loyal to the Capitol, the people of '3 were rather unabashed schemers and designers. She was interested in seeing what this 'generator' was, and wondered if it was a code for something besides a power plant. On the other hand, there were Peacekeepers around the district that would definitely be able to see any and every building in one way or another. It was not exactly easy to hide a power plant.

On the other hand, she wondered if they were being too open with their dealings. Maybe it was because they were on the more rebellious side, but on the other hand, Junichi had dealt with the rebels in District 2, and they seemed very secretive about it even to her. She wondered what the other districts would be like. District 5 would definitely be secretive. District 6, District 7, and most likely District 8 would be open about it. District 9 probably wouldn't care either way; District 10 definitely wouldn't care; District 11 would be secretive to escape the Capitol's watchful eye, and District 12 would almost certainly be secretive as they worked their nefarious tricks and sabotage. District 4 was the only one she couldn't really figure out one way or the other. They seemed very mellow and open but to her that very behavior appeared indicative of something going on behind the scenes. She shrugged it off. District 4 would be tomorrow's stop anyways where she would be able to see for herself what was what.

"we should be off soon then," Ikki suggested, "we've only got a few hours before Ratchet throws her usual party—and we all know full-well that she's inviting you."  
"I dare say it's because of us," Cressida quipped, "the people of the last two districts did the same thing when we came."  
"That sounds more or less logical," Ikki agreed. "Come though—let us move on. The Generator awaits."

Ikki took Cressida and Junichi (Ian and Shigeru also tagged along) to a large building complex that looked more like a series of power plants rather than just one. It was not as extensive of a network as those in District 5, but this easily seemed like enough to power the districts.

"Welcome, ladies…" Ikki began as they approached the building, "to The Generator. This is our backup facility in case something happens in District 5, or to our power lines in and out of the district. We've got enough projects and computers running that a total power failure like they have in '12, '11, or '4 would be disastrous. But… while Panem provides us with power, we figure we might as well take advantage of it. There's no point in letting it go to waste."  
"And so what of the extra energy you produce?" Junichi asked. Almost as if waiting for his cue, an older couple appeared—a thin, frail-looking woman with wires wrapped around both of her arms; and a darker-skinned man with thick glasses sitting in a wheelchair with some sort of contraption in his lap.

"Ladies," Shigeru was the one to speak this time, "meet Wiress and Beetee—the masterminds behind the Power Storage System."

Both Cressida and Junichi recognized those names as two of the older District 3 victors.

"It's actually surprisingly easy," Beetee spoke, "using this wire, it transfers the extra generated electricity into these large storage units that line most of the back of this building. When one unit fills to capacity, we switch to another."

"So like giant batteries then," Junichi suggested.

"More or less," Shigeru nodded, "each one lasts about a month, and we've got about 5½ full ones as things stand, with 9 or 10 more that we could fill. That way, if anything happens in District 5—which we know will inevitably occur—we will be ready with our backup generators online."

"Also," Ian added, "we can put on some sick light shows at the Justice Building. Speaking of which, you might want to start heading over there soon. You've seen most of the backbone of District 3 already—the electricians, engineers, inventers, programmers, and whizzes that make up this fine place. We might not party as hard as District 2 or as fancily as District 1, but you won't be disappointed."  
Ratchet's party did not disappoint in the slightest. It was simpler than what was had in the first two districts, but '3 was an upper-middle-class district, which in turn meant that they still had the resources to put a bit of extravagance into the party. A lot of this was done in the colorful lights and gadgets that were all throughout the place, and all in all Junichi enjoyed herself immensely. Similar to the strategic map of District 2 given them by Clove, Ikki slipped Junichi a map pointing out where the most crucial laboratories and facilities shortly before Ian and Shigeru challenged her to a drinking game.

Cressida naturally volunteered to make sure her socialite friend didn't get too carried away, but in the meantime had a little conversation with Akiyo.

"Whenever Korra gives the word…" he whispered, "I'll be ready."

"I've actually been thinking about you for much of the day," Cressida admitted, "if you are really as therapeutic as the other victors imply that you are, you could be a boon to people like Korra."  
"Korra always seemed so strong to me." Akiyo pointed out.

"She likes to show that side of herself on the outside," Cressida nodded, "but she's got the same problems as any of these others. We will keep in touch."  
"Perfect," Akiyo smirked. "thank you."  
"No…" Cressida smirked back at him, "Thank you."

She did not quite have to drag Junichi back to the train, but it was clear that the blue-haired woman was very buzzed as Cressida guided her back to the train station, where the two of them waved off Ikki, Ian, Akiyo, Ratchet, and Shigeru as they boarded the train which was now en route to District 4. Vital and valuable information had been obtained in District 3, but now it was time to solve the ever-growing mystery of just what was going on the minds of the citizens of District 4…


	6. Stop Four: District 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _While many probably thought that this story was abandoned, it is not. None of my works are going to be stopped unless I myself am stopped. Whatever the case, here's Junichi in District 4 at long, long last. It was tricky but fitting, because on one hand, I mentioned that District 4 was hard to read, and on the other hand... District 4 turned out to be hard for me to read. That said, it's finally finished and posted. Hopefully the future chapters will not take this long to write. I already have many more ideas concerning them-but despite that, I do not feel like I am shafting District 4 either. This chapter plays a significant part in laying down foreshadowing groundwork for my other fic, 'The 100th Annual Hunger Games'... but don't worry. Reading this to understand it (or that one to understand this one) are not necessary._  
_Either way, Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop #4: District 4**

District 4 was like a weird hangover. You never knew how bad it was going to be until it hit you, and different people handled it in different ways. Maybe Junichi's thought process was on that absurd simile due to her own hangover, but Capitol medicine remedied that fairly quickly as she got up and got dressed for the day. It was certainly not that District 4 was a bad place by any means. They were just a wild and untameable people—not in the anarchistic way that District 12 often was; but more of an amiable, free-spirited nature that couldn't be crushed.

It was part of why Junichi's hair was short and wild. Perhaps it was a suitable representation of her own free-spirited nature and how she could not be tied down by Capitol culture. Whatever the case, she would bide her time as long as necessary in order to achieve her goals.

As with the previous three days, Cressida was already in the main compartment, fully dressed and ready to give Junichi the briefings, which she usually compiled in the hours that Junichi was still asleep.

"I don't imagine it takes a genius to figure out that District 3 is planning something big," the blue-haired woman raised her eyebrows.

"I don't imagine that they are nearly that open towards just anyone," Cressida responded, "I reckon they are much more subtle around others, especially if there are any Peacekeepers watching or monitoring them. I'm sure they have ways to conceal their work."

"aye; I wouldn't put it above them to have that sort of thing figured out long before anyone else," Junichi agreed, "District 3 is smart like that. So what do we have on District 4?"

Cressida's stack of papers was fairly small compared to the ones from '1, '2, and '3.

"District 4 is wealthy—slightly moreso than District 3. While District 3 makes themselves appear poorer than they are, they are more ostensibly so rather than gripped by actual poverty. By contrast, District 4 shows itself at face value. That's where it and District 5 differ."  
"I was wondering what they meant by that," Junichi put her fingers to her chin, "they always say that District 5 is the most mysterious place in Panem, but now we also have people saying that '4 is hard to understand. What's the difference, then?"

"The difference is that District 4 presents itself plainly, but is hard to read," Cressida explained, "While District 5 is just full of secrets guarded by secretive people."

"And how loyal are they?" Junichi asked,

"That's what we don't know." Cressida shook her head, flipping a few wayward locks out of her face, "we have been able to classify and rank eleven districts from most loyal to least loyal." She scratched out the numbers onto a piece of paper, handing it to Junichi. It read:

_2, 1, 5, 10, 9, 6, 7, 3, 11, 8, 12_

"So what makes District 4 so hard to rank?" Junichi couldn't wrap her head around it just yet, "District 3 produces volunteers and often joins with the careers, just as District 4 does and they make their intentions quite clear. District 5 produces even fewer volunteers or careers and they're considered one of the most loyal districts apart from '2 and '1."

"That's what none of us get," Cressida frowned, "even the victors aren't really able to clue us in on it."  
"Then I guess we've come to the right place to learn about it." Junichi quipped. "It's hardly a wonder why the Capitol guides and ledgers describes District 4 as often overlooked."  
"There's usually a reason for everything when all is said and done," Cressida agreed, "I'm sure that we'll be able to tap into some of the secrets of District 4 before the night is over."

"That's what the drinking is for," Junichi winked, "and I thank you once again for your support."

"You're someone who can get things done," Cressida approved, "I like that."

Not too much later, the train pulled in to the District 4 station, where the two ladies disembarked. Unlike in Districts 1, 2, and 3, there was no one waiting for them, which even Cressida found surprising. They took a look around the station, finding it much simpler than the techy one from District 3, the luxurious one from District 1, or the large, militaristic station that District 2 had.

Luckily they were not alone for too much longer. Near the entrance of the station they came across a woman with fiery red hair and a look in her eyes that clearly concealed a story of some sort. She noticed Cressida and Junichi out of the corner of her eye and approached them.

"Apologies for the delay," she flipped some hair out of her face. "Mayor Douglas was handling a disturbance in the local Victor Village, and he sent me in his behalf to apologize for the delay."  
"No harm done," Cressida shrugged, "he does know the reason for our visit however, yes?"

"Of course," the girl nodded, "the disturbance was unexpected, but has quieted down. My mother Mandy should be here to serve as your guide shortly."

"Mandy…" Junichi pondered that name, "you're her daughter then, aren't you?"  
"How else would I know so well about the happenings in the victor village?" the redhead replied, "I live with my mother. I would hope that she didn't disown me or something drastic."

"Well, you certainly have her sass down," Junichi smiled, "I like you, child. What's your name."  
"Eska," the freckled girl tossed some flyaway hair out of her face. "welcome to District 4."  
"So tell me," Cressida was curious about what the mayor was up to, "What happened in the Victor Village that came to the attention to the mayor himself?"

"Oh that?" Eska chuckled, "it was just a wild drinking party hosted by Gill and my mom. Then you've got Gill's sister Blair, Finnick and Annie's son Roman, and then of course me and all of a sudden it's a party and then some. The Durangos certainly know how to break it down."  
Durango—that name rang a bell. Junichi remembered the name from the 91st Hunger Games, when District 12 took the victor's crown after Aveline Togisala survived the arena. Iris Durango had been a volunteer girl from District 4 that had brutally murdered Aveline's brother, who had also been reaped that same year. Ava had taken vengeance out on that girl, and still loathed her with a passion. Junichi was only vaguely aware that the girl had had any siblings.

Sure enough, not too much longer into the conversation, and a red-headed woman with waist-length curls approached them, wiping sweat from her brow. Despite looking worn out, she also appeared to have an exhilarated grin on her face, like the proud expression of someone who had just gotten into a whole lot of mischief.

"Apologies for the… delay," she cooed, "things happened, some people got drunk, and there were gratuitous amounts of nudity. Nothing out of the ordinary really; the name's Mandy Ikezhen, although I suspect you Capitolites already knew that."

"We know a lot," Junichi retorted, "although I am curious—what does your husband look like?" she cast a glance towards the teen, who bore a striking resemblance to her mother.

"He's got redder hair than I do," Mandy laughed. "I take it you recognize the family resemblance between my daughter and I?" Seeing Eska and Mandy together really did bring out the similarities in the two of them.

"If I may ask," Junichi inquired, "where is he now?"

"He shouldn't be far," Mandy indicated, before turning to Eska, "go find your dad. Let's introduce him to these friendly Capitol ladies back at the Victor Village."

"In the meantime," Mandy turned back to Cressida and Junichi, "want to have a look around?"  
Cressida scribbled something down before she and Junichi nodded.

"one simply cannot visit District 4 without stopping to see the glorious beaches," Mandy began, "the waterways can get you pretty much anywhere, but at the same time, you've got pranksters like Wainright or Durango that'll want to tip you over, so I'll spare you the trouble. We wouldn't want you getting those fancy suits of yours all soaked and ruined."  
the walk to the beach was long compared to some of the other walks the two women had taken. While the particularly rich districts like 1 and 2 had cars that they used a lot, District 4 did not have any, despite it appearing to be richer than District 3. The place was definitely well-off, and there was a level of happiness—at least on the surface—that made it feel almost like District 1.

"So it seems that '4 has fallen out of favor with the careers lately," Junichi spoke as they walked, with Cressida remaining the silent one taking the notes in the background, "they seem to recruit '3 a lot more often now. Is there a reason for it?"

"There's been a recent drop in volunteers," Mandy shrugged, "and a lot of people have stopped caring about the games as a symbol of pride. Now, a couple of these years we've just had kids that weren't very good fighters. '91, '92, and '93 were some of those years. Other times we just got outclassed or outsmarted. It's all water under the bridge now though."

"And how do the people here feel about the Capitol?" Cressida spoke up, stepping towards Mandy in case they needed to get quiet. "Anything you say will not be used against you."  
"Honestly…" Mandy paused for a moment, "I'm not really sure. Everyone here including me kind of does their own thing. Heck, some of the old career training facilities still operate, although this place rarely produces volunteers anymore."  
This was particularly interesting news to Junichi, whose mind was already piecing together why they would want to train in combat if they were not so enthusiastic about the Hunger Games anymore. Her first thought immediately spun to rebellion, but she feared that maybe she was just being too optimistic about that. District 4 seemed to have so many quirks to her that the rest of Panem did not have. There was a distinct accent among most of them that exuded confidence, and their wild, barefooted informality that they took as their approach to almost everything was something she envied and admired at the same time.

"Sunset on this western coast is incredible, and that's when the party's going to be," Mandy continued as they walked past a couple of fisheries. She either seemed oblivious or to deliberately ignore a large 'District 14' logo graffiti'd on the side of one of these buildings. "the water is warm this time of year, so feel free to undress; take a dip or two when the time comes. In the meantime, I need to show you the rest of the district—or the important parts, anyways. Have you ever been sailing?"  
"I cannot say I have," Cressida admitted, and Junichi nodded in agreement. "Is that where we're going?"

"It's the easiest way to get to the shipwright's from here," Mandy agreed, "and since a lot of this district's industries are on the coast, it's easier for me to point out what's going on. Besides—the weather is beautiful."

The Docks of District 4 smelled of fish, salt, and the sea air and were surprisingly well maintained. There were not very many large vessels apart from fishing ships, since Panem's sphere of trade was situated across the continent rather than across the oceans to lands that no longer existed. Much of the District 4 Central City was spread across the coast in a long, narrow fashion, and so sailing up and down the coast could cut out travel time versus going through the city.

Mandy led Junichi and Cressida to a vessel that she boarded without hesitation, before she began untying various ropes.

"Make yourselves comfortable," she offered, "it's going to be a couple minutes, but I promise it'll be worth it." Mandy's words were calm, and while her movements and behavior seemed quirky and erratic, it was clear that she knew very well what she was doing. It had not even been 5 minutes before the boat was ready to sail, and Mandy kept them close to the coastline as she pointed out various buildings and what they are used for.

"A lot of these old warehouses are used in times when we get a crazy surplus of goods, which happens more than you think," she pointed to a cluster of identical warehouses that seemed fairly quiet in contrast to the busy piers from earlier, "but otherwise they just sit empty most of the time. Maybe one day someone will be inside one of them and announce that we'll attack at dawn or something. Who knows?"

Cressida and Junichi exchanged looks, and were starting to think that District 4 might have been even more rebellious than District 12. The biggest issue was that so many of them spoke in riddles, and even Mandy herself was hard to decipher. They were quiet, but paid attention to the things Mandy pointed out on the tour of the district from the coastline. All in all, the view was breathtaking no matter which way they looked: from the lush, lively central city sprawling along the coast, to the endless waves of the calm blue ocean, shrouded in mist. District 4 was undoubtedly a beautiful place.

After a few minutes a small set of docks came into view, and there were people already moving into place to help moor Mandy's boat. Mandy, however, refused to wait for them, and launched herself into a graceful swan-dive over the side of her boat and plunged into the water, swimming to shore. Evidence of the swimming prowess of District 4 citizens was well-known and well-documented, and Mandy seemed a step above that norm, no less.

Naturally, neither Cressida nor Junichi wanted to get their suits wet, and so they waited for the boat to dock before disembarking. Mandy was already waiting for them, and this time was accompanied by Eska and a tall man with long red hair colored more vividly even than Mandy's or Eska's. The woman hadn't been lying when she had made her claim.

"Mr. Mandy Ikezhen, I take it?" Junichi offered an introduction.

"William," the man gave his name, "I take it you've reached the Victor Village arm of the tour?"

"Precisely," Junichi could not help but look around. This was all prime beachfront property here, which made the village unique from the others in the other districts. District 4 had had a healthy share of victors. Like District 3, it was not as large as the career victor villages, but it had had about the same number of victors as '3, and so was far from quiet.

Unlike the first three stops, there was not a lot of sitting down done here. Mandy and her family mentioned a little about some of the other victors, but it seemed that everyone was remaining particularly vague about where the district stood in terms of rebellion. The elusive Annie Cresta did not speak nearly at all, and her husband Finnick dismissed notions of all-out rebellion as being a bit ahead of their current situation. When approached by Cressida, who asked him how he felt about herself and her fellow Capitol visitor Junichi, he left them with the cryptic but reassuring words.

"_I know who the real enemy is."_

The rest of the afternoon breezed by, and Cressida seemed upset at some of it, feeling that they were walking on eggshells. On one hand, they wanted to know what District 4's stance on the rebellion was, but on the other hand, if they got too nosy, even the rebels might suspect them as being Capitol loyalists and thus traitors to the rebellion. Her hands were tied, and Cressida hated having her hands tied. There was something unusual about the lack of activity in the district, and she had a feeling that things had not just slowed down because of their arrival.

On the other hand, as the evening rolled in, even she managed to lighten up a little bit. The party here might not have been the glitz and glamour of District 1; the bold, brazen hard partying of District 2; or the flashy and visually charming scene of District 3, but the lighthearted, carefree nature of the way District 4 just let go and partied was actually a rather pleasant experience.

Cressida did pull Junichi aside for a moment to point out a few crucial observations, however.

"Can it not wait?" the blue-haired woman was already a bit tipsy.

"In any other district, including '5, I would say yes," Cressida frowned, "but in a district like '4 where everyone refuses to give a straight answer, I need to alert you of a few observations I made."  
"Alright; alright," Junichi sighed, "let's hear them."

"Foremost, I have noticed a lack of Peacekeepers in this district." Cressida warned, "There are small contingents, but for how vast and sprawling this district is, they seem to number very few. Secondly, I noticed that the reason the district is so quiet today was because the power had gone out again. I know that this sort of thing happens a lot in remote districts like '12 and '11, but I would not expect it in '4. I do not know what to make of these things at the moment, but I will muse on it this evening. Don't drink yourself under the table too swiftly, Jun."

"Cressida darling, you know me so well," Junichi chortled, before taking a more serious face, "I understand your warnings though, and will keep them in consideration. Thank you."

Just like every district before this one (and a likely outcome in each of the upcoming stops), Junichi got wildly drunk and did actually end up under the table. Cressida was relieved that Junichi had not tried to take a dip in the water in this state, and managed to get her back to the train in one piece for the evening, where the blue-haired woman finally dozed off for real.

On the other hand, she was deep in thought (albeit a little buzzed) about all the clues and mysteries of District 4. She had learned a lot, but was now trying to piece the parts of the puzzle together. She knew that it was not about to get any easier with their next stop either. Known for its reputation as Panem's most mysterious still standing district, Cressida hoped that they would not be left with quite as many questions when they finally pulled into the station in District 5. In the meantime, all she could do was wait it out as the train continued its course.


	7. Stop Five: District 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I apologize for the super duper lengthy delay on this chapter. This fic has been a little tricky, but at this point it is only fair that I make sure all 12 districts are covered. Some of the districts that are less prominent or less detailed canonically will thus entail shorter chapters than others, and so as we move out of the four of the most prominent districts of Panem into more obscure territory, chapters might become a little bit shorter. Even then, however, I hope to keep them all at least a certain length._  
_Whatever the case... here's District 5's stop after about four months of nothing. We also get to see a budding romance between a couple of victors separated by district, and what truly goes on in the mysterious minds of those from '5. Hopefully none of the other chapters will take this long to write though-I guess I have a point about District 5 being mysterious and hard to figure out._  
_Either way... Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop #5: District 5**

While District 4 had a wild and unpredictable reputation, Junichi knew that District 5's reputation of being quiet and mysterious was founded in truth. Their tributes behaved very similarly, and their victors no different. The remaining citizens had a tendency to quietly attend to their work, powering the nation of Panem from their shadowy workplaces.

Despite all this, it wasn't like Junichi had a reason to mistrust District 5, although she knew that she would have to tread a little more carefully here than she did in other districts simply by virtue of the fact that they, much like District 1 and District 2, were much more loyal to the Capitol than '4 or '3. The true extent of this loyalty, however, was not known. However, obviously the Capitol put great trust in them considering that it powered all of Panem including the Capitol except for a few small parts of Districts 12 and 3 that were on backup generators that weren't used normally anyways.

After Junichi was awake, cleaned up, and dressed for the day, she sat down with Cressida to get the briefings on District 5. By this time she was unsurprised that Cressida was already dressed and ready to go, as if she never took her suit off. Frankly, Junichi had theories that maybe she didn't, as she had never actually seen her without it, but that was for another time.

"District 5 is a very rich district," Cressida explained as soon as Junichi was comfortable, "surpassed only by Districts 2 and 1. Similarly, their loyalties to the Capitol are the same, being surpassed this tome only by 1 and then 2 respectively. On the other hand, there's an old saying circulating among a lot of the citizens, loyal and rebel alike that says 'what happens in District 5 stays in District 5'. Whatever they're doing, they're doing it right."

"well," Junichi pointed out, "you did say yesterday that District 5 is full of secrets guarded by secretive people. I suppose we'll find out just what that means when we get there."

"The more I hear your optimism, the harder it becomes to fight it, Juni." Cressida teased, "be careful or I may end up joining you instead."

"Instead of what?" Junichi raised an eyebrow, taking on a very innocent expression that made Cressida crack a tiny smile.

"That's the spirit, Juni. Keep your wits about you though; I think you'll be familiar with our guide this time around and I'm not entirely sure that he's as… outgoing as some of our friends from '4, '3, or '2."  
"Are you implying that Lux wasn't friendly?"

"Lux is friendly to you because she has some trust in you. Towards others, she is distant and sometimes even genuinely hostile. There is one other person she trusts, and he is in the very same District 5 we're about to pull into the station for."

Sure enough, the train slowly grinded to a halt in the District 5 station. It was about the same size as the one from District 3: not nearly as large as the one from '2, and slightly smaller than the ones in '4 and '1. As Cressida and Junichi stepped off the train they were greeted with bright skies, majestic mountains, and the powerful sound of flowing water in the far distance. Unlike in District 4 where the mayor had not even shown up at all during their stop, Mayor Isaak Brightz was there waiting for them, standing beside a young man with freckles and neck-length fiery red curls to rival Mandy's.

"Welcome to District 5," Brightz greeted them, "I do hope you will find everything in order during your stay here. My friend Cadence Montoya here will be the one to show you around. He doesn't say a whole lot, but he's very skilled at what he does."

Junichi had been watching Cadence's expression the entire time, and at first, he had a look of pure malice on his visage not too far off of Lux's, but his face began to soften as he saw Junichi (and even Cressida, to a lesser extent).

"Let us be off then." Cadence grunted, "there's a lot to show you before tonight."

Cadence led the two women from the station into the city proper. There were a lot of lights and colors, and the buildings around them, be they homes or other businesses, were well-kept, showing a sign of the district's wealth.

"If there is anything you would like to ask about, let me know." Cadence grunted. While he sounded rude, Junichi quietly informed Cressida that this was just how Cadence was, and that usually he didn't even bother saying more than a couple words at a time. Once they were out of Isaak's hearing range, however, he turned to Junichi, looking concerned.

"Lux," he mumbled, "H-how is she?"

"She is doing just fine," Junichi smiled as she heard Cadence breathe a sigh of relief. "She's a little agitated by the same sets of things that usually bother her, but everything over in District 1 seems ordinary. She did tell me to say hello to you though."

Cressida had not seen any signs of this when they had visited Lux in District 1, but she figured it was better for Junichi to lie about that than not to. She figured that it had just slipped Lux's mind rather than Lux having lost interest in the boy.

"Good." Cadence nodded, "I worry about her."

The central hub of District 5 had an array of commercial buildings as well as laboratories, likely for geological related work and/or ways to devise new and more efficient methods of generating and storing power and energy. The district was very clean and immaculate, and also rather bright for a place notorious across the country for being shrouded in mystery. Even as they were here, Cressida and Junichi both could not really tell what the few people they passed by were up to.

"It's a loyal bunch here in '5," Cadence commented, "Although there are a few folks over at Coriolanus 10 that have gone and relocated themselves to that plant for a special reason or two. I think I know what it is, but this is not the time or place."

Cressida's eyes narrowed for a moment as her gaze bored into the back of Cadence's skull. A moment later, she smirked, knowing what this meant. Similar to in District 2 and District 1, there was something going on with a small, disgruntled portion of the populace that likely involved discontent with the Capitol. Junichi seemed to be processing this in a similar manner to Cressida, and it was eventually her that spoke up next again.

"Would it be possible to visit Coriolanus 10?" she asked.

"With proper authorization, anything can happen." Cadence muttered, smirking.

As their trek through the wealthy city continued, Cadence somehow got hold of a woman named Robin Savage, as well as a victor named Johnny Stallings, and a maintenance man named Sergi Sonora.

"So our dear guests want to see Coriolanus 10 up close, do they?" Johnny quipped, "I guess it'd make sense considering that this one powers most of the Capitol's central hub. Come with us; we're going on a little trip."

The small group piled into Sergi's truck—a maintenance vehicle and one of the few road vehicles outside of Panem's Capitol, and headed outside the district and up into one of the mountains, following a massive river as well. There were a few smaller dams and multiple solar power plants along the way, but when they reached Coriolanus 10, all of them knew it.

The massive dam spanned the length of the mighty river, the sounds of rushing water and whirring turbines filling their ears.

"Silas and Vida Loka run this thing," Johnny began explaining. Cadence gave an approving nod, hoping this man would do more of the talking so he wouldn't have to. "Their daughter Holly also works here. She and I coordinate for routine maintenance inspections."  
While Cressida could tell that these were underhanded words hinting at a sort of revolutionary event (or perhaps they were just outright saboteurs), she knew that most of District 5 was still loyal to the Capitol and as such she would not push her luck. They knew what they were doing, it seemed.

"Of course," Johnny continued, "there are a few interesting flaws I've seen, or maybe have searched for, and so this is going to be tricky. The Capitol makes sure that we upkeep the power plants, and we do. That's not at all what we have in mind." Johnny didn't want to draw attention to himself, and as such, he turned the attention over to Robin.

"My son Morgan and I work over at the labs where we're developing new technology to keep the country clean and efficiently powered. The blackouts and brownouts that are all too common in places like District 11, District 12, and even District 4 for some reason, will someday be things of the past."

Junichi and Cressida began their note-taking again. Robin seemed very professional about this, and it was hard to tell what side she was on. Cadence seemed somewhat warm towards her though, and so that was a plus.

"Want to lead us there?" Cadence offered, referring to the labs in question.

"The tour wouldn't be complete if I didn't," she chortled. "onward we go!"

There were actually a couple more stops at some of the solar plants so that District 5 could inform the Capitol of their progress, efficiency, and 9in the case of many of these employees) loyalty. After all, a district would have to have at least a somewhat firm loyalty to the Capitol for them to trust that district with generating their electricity. Too much reliance on this power grid could give the Capitol trouble were it ever to fail.

"I assure you," Robin went on, "that we have dozens of failsafes for each power plant, as to protect not only the Capitol, but also the districts that work to serve our glorious nation so well."

Cadence thumbed behind him towards Robin, smirking.

"Is she…" Junichi whispered, and Cadence simply nodded. As usual, Cressida was the calm and quiet one as she tried to take as many notes on this mysterious district as she could.

The laboratories were particularly interesting, with some of them reminding her of District 3, and others intriguing her as they worked on various combustion or explosive tricks. She wondered if this was for electricity generation, or if it had something to do with the particularly detailed scheme she had picked up at Coriolanus 10.

What intrigued her and Junichi the most though was the sheer amount of subtlety that seemed to exude from these people. More than likely, the idea of blowing up a damn was just wishful thinking. While Peacekeepers were scarce in the city itself, the power plants and labs had been heavily guarded. As Capitol citizens, however, Junichi and Cressida vouched for their small party and thus were admitted after the Peacekeepers learned the intent and purpose of Junichi's tour.

Despite the day spent with the people of District 5, in at least four different power plants, half a dozen different laboratories and research centers, and at least twice that many businesses and hubs, even Cressida felt that they still knew hardly anything about the mysterious and elusive people of District 5 other than that they were as cunning as their reputation made them out to be. The Victor Village population of 10 was only trailing behind the two notorious career districts; it even beat out the wily tributes of District 3, and the semi-career tributes of District 4. Two of the Peacekeepers that crossed paths with Cressida and Junichi included Azhar and Jawna Zavala, parents of District 2 victor Amy Zavala from the 92nd Hunger Games. They seemed pretty loyal to the Capitol as many Peacekeepers were, but not enough to elicit any hostility or even any tension from the victors who were arguably dangerously rebellious as things stood. Junichi assured them that their daughter was alright and doing well, and that was that.

The last leg of the tour before the festivities that evening was to the Victor Village, where they met back up with Cadence and Johnny, but also saw older veterans Bethany Shanza, Marcelina Kovac, and the aged Fletch Crossley. Not all of the victors were still alive (most of the deceased having died simply of old age), but those that were, were all rather close, just like in the other four districts. Junichi and Cressida joined them at Johnny's mansion, where Cressida joined them in a card game to chat up the victors and see what she could glean from them. Junichi went with Cadence to a quieter corner, since he was a much less social young man.

"So…" the blue-haired Capitol woman got a moment alone with Cadence after making sure no one was snooping in or dropping eaves, "is there a plan? It almost seemed like you all are trying to knock out Coriolanus 10."

"Nothing so fanciful," Cadence sighed, "just a lot of really neat scheming. If we here in '5 ever do end up doing something crazy though, you'll certainly be some of the first to know."

"I'm not sure if we should be intrigued or terrified." Junichi shook her head.

"Both," Cadence cracked a mischievous smirk. "But I am not one to backstab those close to me. If that's on your mind, Thatch, you need not worry."

"I trust you." Junichi assured him, "and I'm happy to keep you and Lux in touch."  
"I love her." Cadence explained bluntly. "It hurts to not be able to speak with her more. She needs it, especially with how few people really understand what she wants to say."  
"She's tricky like that," Junichi agreed, "but she trusts me, and I like to at least think that I understand her gestures and what she wants to say."

"If she didn't trust you, she would dislike your presence." Cadence nodded. "Not everyone in District 5 is as silent as me, but we do like to keep our secrets private. Do that for me, and it would be greatly appreciated."  
"Does Lux know?"  
"Of course," Cadence cracked a hollow chuckle, "if she didn't, I wouldn't be able to say I loved her because she wouldn't even let me in."

"The two of you deserve to be happy together," Junichi asserted, "and the day will come. We'll ensure it's in your lifetime, no less."  
"That's what we're working for. Perhaps Coriolanus 10 might fall to saboteurs after all." Cadence gave a wink so subtle that Junichi wasn't even fully sure she had noticed it. She decided not to say anything, but instead they bided their time until the evening.

District 5 put on quite the light show later that evening. As the one that generated the electricity, they would always be the last place in Panem to ever go dark in the event of a shortage (barring perhaps the Capitol). Similarly, for as elusive and vague as the citizens of this district enjoyed being, they certainly knew how to throw a party.

Before Junichi engaged in her usual drinking herself under a table, Cressida managed to find her to give her the conclusion of her observations and lengthy note-taking.

"Everything is as I predicted it would be," she began, "the denizens of District 5 are secretive and do not really share much of their accomplishments or schemes with the outside world. I imagine this bars the Capitol, of course; who, much like us, is likely aware of their current projects, although the idea of sabotaging this or that seems to be something a lot of the victors are interested in pursuing."

"It makes sense, really." Junichi agreed, "if even the supremely loyal District 2 can have rebels, there would be rebellious contingents here in '5 as well."  
"Those theories are also correct." Cressida affirmed. "District 5 is as rich as we thought, as loyal as we thought, and populated with small pockets of rebels, particularly among the Victor Village, just as we thought. Robin and Morgan Savage are our allies, as are Sergi Sonora and Holly Alto. Her parents, however, are loyalists, and should be watched out for."  
"Got it" Junichi smiled. "anything else?"  
"just don't drink too much," Cressida laughed, "otherwise, have at it."

Sure enough, Junichi ended up drunk under some table somewhere, but this wild behavior of hers was one of the things that made her so likable by citizens outside the Capitol as well as in. Her cool, level-headedness coupled with her empathy and down-to-earth-ness helped her remain a very likable figure through all of this.

Of course, none of that stopped Cressida from having to drag a giggling drunken Junichi back to the train later that evening, but all in all this stop had been productive as well. The next one would be an intriguing tale for sure, but Cressida would handle it when the time came. In the meantime, the train whizzed off from District 5 and off towards the place where it was made: District 6…


	8. Stop Six: District 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Ideally I might be able to get another chapter out every few weeks or month or so. Not making any promises, but I've been on a recent Hunger Games writing binge and so I'm taking advantage of it while I can. Hopefully I can crank out the remaining few chapters and get this story done and out of the way. Not that I haven't enjoyed it' just that I've kind of let it drag on for much too long._  
_Anyways, here's District 6. Like District 5, we don't really get a lot of information from it or its victors in the books, and so a lot of made up. I capitalize greatly on the drug/Morphling endemic, but not necessarily in the way people expect. '6 might not be cunning the way '5 or '3 are, but they're not brain-fried druggies either (well, not all of them). It works as a nice cover for some people though, and so just because someone might ramble about butterflies and rainbows and go cross-eyed on you doesn't necessarily mean they're an idiot. Just something to think about._  
_Whatever the case... Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop #6: District 6**

There had been an obvious sense of mystery surrounding the elusive District 5, from its citizens to its tributes to its inner workings and daily life. Today's stop would be similar, except the mystery surrounding this place was not the same as the previous one.

No, the mystery of District 6 was how a district so large and so notoriously plagued with drug abuse from both its citizens and Peacekeepers alike, not only managed to produce victors in the Hunger Games, but how were they able to function? It was clear that whatever they did, they did their jobs well, as evidenced by the fine craftsmanship of the trains, hovercrafts, and other vehicles used by the Capitol to get around, as they were all made here. These were the kinds of thoughts flowing through Junichi's mind that morning as she woke up and prepared for the day. Perhaps Cressida could shed more light on the situation?

Just as she had done for the last six stops (the five districts and the Capitol party prior to her tour of Panem) Junichi styled her blue hair the same way, wearing the same black and blue frilly outfit and heels the she was famous for having. While she liked to at least think or pretend that she was a morning person, in truth, that role belonged to Cressida, who either ran off of much less sleep than Junichi, fell asleep much sooner, or simply didn't sleep at all. Humorously, Junichi did not dismiss that last theory as false just yet. Instead, she joined Cressida out in the main car, ready for the briefing on District 6 over some breakfast and morning talk.

"District 6, as you surely know, is notorious for the drug abuse." Cressida began, shuffling through stacks of papers as she watched Junichi's reactions, "and is mostly a middle class district. It's not as well-off as places like '4 or '3, and nowhere near the likes of '5, '2, or '1, but it's better off than almost every district after it apart from maybe '7. Most would also say they are a rebellious group, since word from District 2 and the Capitol indicates that wages for Peacekeepers in District 6 are noticeably higher than other districts, including even the dangerous districts such as '11 and '12. It is the most populous district as well, which I'm sure makes it harder."  
"And the Morphling abuse has nothing to do with it I'm sure." Junichi chuckled.

"Not a bit," Cressida played along with Junichi's joke only for a moment. "In truth, most people just summarize and generalize it as being Morphling, even though it's actually a slew of drugs. Some of the victors have even created some of their own, the most popular of which is a certain "Substance 21", which is manufactured primarily by the Meraxa family. You probably recognize that name from Shishio's recent victory, or his grandfather Dezna over 50 years earlier."

"I'm sure we'll see at least one Meraxa on this trip." Junichi agreed, "what else do I need to know?"  
"Similar to District 5, I do not think the mayor is on our side, so to speak. I do believe he is more of a neutral entity; a wildcard, if you will. Most of this district will be. There are enough rebels here to cause a storm, but most of them are so intoxicated by this or that, that they can't really do a whole lot."

"I'm sure we'll come up with something," Junichi chortled.

"It's a large place with a lot to see," Cressida pointed out, "and a lot of people to watch out for. Just keep that in mind as we go in. We're about to the station."

Sure enough, hardly a few minutes after Cressida and Junichi finished their conversation, the train began slowing to a halt in an enormous station that was even larger than that of District 2. It was unsurprising that this was the largest station among the Districts because trains had to come here for repairs and maintenance, and they were shipped out from this district where they were made.

It was much less fancy than the Capitol station, but was nearly as large, and much more practical. The district gave off a very metallic vibe, with greys and blacks being the most common colors in right near every direction. Unlike in some of the other stops, Mayor Kellam Carter was waiting for them hardly a few meters away from where their compartment door would open. He kept a respectable distance as to not come off as overly eager or awkward, and with him was a very mellow-looking young man wearing baggy clothes. After a few moments, Junichi recognized this fellow immediately.

A few moments after Junichi and Cressida had stepped off the train and onto the platform, the well-dressed man approached with the younger one in tow.

"Thatch and Kiya, I presume?" he offered his hand, which the two women shook in turn,

"Then you know why we are here." Cressida was the one to speak first.

"That I do," Kellam nodded, "and as such, allow me to offer you a formal welcome to District 6. It's a large place, so I would recomm4end staying with your guide. Enough of this district looks alike that it's easy to think you're going one way and accidentally be going another."  
"Well, as fun as wandering around and getting lost might be," Junichi quipped, "I highly doubt that it would be fundamental for delivering a report of the district life and activity back to the Capitol."

"It's hardly a wonder why so many like you, Thatch," Kellam chuckled, "it makes me wish I could join you for your tour. Unfortunately, I have preparations I must make for this evening, which means for now, Shishio Meraxa here will be your guide."

The fluffy-haired boy flicked his hands in what seemed like a casual wave, in order to acknowledge the presence of the two Capitol women. "I heard you two want to take a peek into the secrets of District 6… welp, ol' Carter's left you two in my hands, so prepare for a wild ride."

Cressida and Junichi both remained silent. Junichi was familiar with Shishio's antics, and knew that the odds of him being supportive of the Capitol were slim. Very few if any victors actually were that way.

"Don't look so shocked…" Shishio took a swig from a small flask on his hip that Junichi was fairly certain did not contain alcohol, "not even the Capitol's favorite victor would be spared their wrath if I harmed either of you. You're in safe hands. Now, come along; there's a lot you should see."

Shishio almost seemed to be whimsically aloof in his own little world as they walked towards a small truck. It was dwarfed by almost all of the military vehicles that were mostly seen in District 2, and even the ones that Peacekeepers used here were much larger and probably much faster. Cressida mentally noted this, figuring that it made sense to have cars in such a large district, and that they would be much smaller than the military vehicles the Peacekeepers used, in the case of an uprising.

"The first thing to know about '6 is that the reason we're so expansive is because there's a lot of people needed to put all these fancy machines together, and then housing them takes even more space. We'll take you through town first, and then out to the outskirts to see all the runways and hangars where we keep planes and hovercraft, and then back around in time for the party. How's that sound?"  
Shishio's remark seemed more rhetorical than anything, for he was already escorting the Capitol women to the center of town. Unsurprisingly, it was a very urbanized district full of factories similar to Districts 3 or 5, except the ones here were a lot dirtier and less attractive or aesthetically pleasing. They did not need to be though, as they were not one of the wealthy districts, nor did they get much attention.

"District 6 is like a TV." Dezna explained, "You don't thank it when it does its job properly, but the moment it slacks or cuts you out, you kick your foot through it and curse it to high heaven or whatnot. Well, most people do. I really don't care one way or another. Getting angry is weird."

"Have you ever been angry?" Cressida hoped to pry a little bit.

"Upset at a few things, which I'll tell you outside of Capitol earshot," Dezna motioned to the occasional camera out on the streetlights, but these were mostly for public areas rather than every citizen's private quarters, "but actually getting angry and fuming? Nah… I can't really grasp that concept. Mom, grandma, and grandpa all said they couldn't really either, so I'm not sure?"

"Many people outside the district say that there's a Morphling endemic here," Cressida inquired, "can you give me the details on how true or not this is?"  
"It's definitely true," Shisho chuckled, "and if it's not Morphling, it's various other drugs, narcotics, hallucinogens, painkillers, and that kind of thing. My family has a market for the notorious Substance 21, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone."

"What does it do, exactly?" Junichi was the one to ask.

"It mostly just lets you hallucinate something fierce. If you've got any Red Gold from District 1, that stuff makes it so much better. Essentially, it's like getting drunk except you get to see rainbows and sparkles and other lovely things."

Shishio seemed very aloof, but the roads of District 6, which were filled with more cars than any other district, were like second nature to him. he wove his vehicle around and didn't even come close to hitting anything or anyone, much to Cressida and Junichi's surprise.

"So if everyone's jacked on drugs," Junichi asked, "how does anything get done? How are you even driving this car so well, if you're intoxicated?"

"I'm always on some kind of drug." Shishio chuckled, "and that's what makes things so interesting."

While this might have weirded out normal people, Cressida remained calm because Junichi had remained calm, because Junichi knew Shishio well enough to understand how the boy worked.

"So where is our next destination?" Cressida decided to get them more focused on the subject and task at hand.

"The market for starters," Shishio replied, "someone's gotta show you the kind of drug endemic that's going on right around us that no one cares about."  
The District 6 marketplace reminded Junichi of a larger and more urbanized version of The Hob from District 12. It looked like one big black market, with several merchants and vendors having crates that clearly looked smuggled. How this worked was beyond anyone's guess, but Junichi figured that since every car, train, and plane that was ever made came in and out of District 6, that perhaps some supplies got left behind. Junichi might have normally asked where the Peacekeepers were and why they were not enforcing the laws as well as in other districts, but to her surprise, Cressida pointed out that they were among some of the buyers, and even in a few rare cases, sellers.

"We've got a lot of porters, routers, and baggage-handlers that deal with goods, legal or otherwise," Shishio parked the car and let the women stretch their legs. The vehicle was small and slightly cramped, but not uncomfortably so. "welcome to The Checkerboard."  
"Why is it called The Checkerboard?" Junichi tilted her head.

"Easy," Shishio laughed, "because it's full of squares within the main plaza, and half of the squares are full of legal stuff, and the other half are stuff you'd find on the black market.

"How can you tell?" Cressida asked.

"If you recognize it, odds are it's at least somewhat legal. If it looks shady, it probably is." Shishio took another shot from the flask on his hip, "Alcohol being an exception. It's technically legal, but no one really regulates it, so a lot of people spike it with drugs to give their customers the ultimate trippin' experience. It's not as bad as it seems most of the time."  
"That's still pretty crazy," Junichi frowned, "is some of this stuff going to somehow turn up at the party tonight in any way?"  
"It might, but that depends on where the mayor goes," Dezna shrugged, "really, if you don't find what you're looking for at The Checkerboard, you can usually find it in some of the smaller, abandoned warehouses. As the assembly lines grew larger and the Capitol's demands increased, we moved to large facilities, and no one was arsed enough to tear the old ones down."

Junichi mused about one of the odd similarities between District 6 and District 12 in this regard before Shishio escorted them back to the car for the next leg of their journey. He took them far outside the city to the large hangars and runways out on the fringes of town, and showed them one of the massive assembly lines where mechanics and conductors worked to make things happen, with large amounts of metallic parts being welded or riveted together to construct the hulls of planes, trains, cars, and hovercrafts, among other things.

The factory that Shishio stopped at seemed to house friends of his, for as he entered, he was greeted by a man that recognized him immediately.

"Shishi!" he used an affectionate nickname for the young man, "we haven't had a good mechanic like you since your mother showed up! I'm surprised she didn't get reaped or volunteer…"

"If she did, who's to say that I'd even exist?" Shishio laughed, "I got lucky, Remus—almost as lucky as grandpa Dezna did 50 some-odd years ago."  
"there's a few of the older folks that remember that man and his sister." Remus chortled, "How are they doing these days?"

"Arza and Dezna are still doing the same old thing they've been doing," Shishio chuckled. "anyways, I'm here to introduce a couple of friends. Cressida, Junichi: this is Remus Wilde, one of the best factory overseers District 6 has to offer. Remus, this is Cressida and Junichi, some friends from the Capitol."

"Capitol, huh…" a woman's voice spoke up, "you're brave to come all the way out here then…"

"Hey mom!" Shishio chuckled, "still putting in hours despite that me and grandpa's stipends can keep you set for life?"  
"You know you do it too," the woman laughed. "now, are you going to introduce me to your friends as well, or am I not special enough?"

Shishio introduced the woman as Zakura, and she had an odd resemblance to Shishio in appearance, mannerisms, and even the same fluffy hairstyle. The trio showed Cressida and Junichi around the massive assembly line, where they noticed plenty of workers that looked drugged or intoxicated. Despite all of this, everything ran like clockwork. Maybe some of the drugs were steroidal or something.

The penultimate stop before the party that evening was the Victor Village, although despite meeting faces like the notorious Dezna Meraxa himself, as well as victors Meili Meisha and Zerviah Hawke, there was no real information given that Junichi didn't already know. All of these victors seemed displeased with the Capitol, but friendly to Cressida and Junichi.

"We know a lot more than we let on," Meili pointed out, "and hey—someone's got to test drive the hovercrafts, y'know. Maybe someday District 6 will reap a kid that knows how to fly these things and he might bust his way out of there."  
"Now there's a thought!" Junichi gasped, not sure if they were being serious or not. They chuckled, and so the two Capitol women chuckled along with them. For a district full of drug-addicts, there did seem to be a surprising amount of aloof laughter. Maybe that was simply how they coped; Cressida took plenty of notes and Junichi remained observant all the way up until the party that evening.

They concluded that while many of them were harmful or debilitating, that several of the drugs widely used in District 6 were not necessarily adverse. Some even seemed to enhance performance, for the Capitol Peacekeepers would have descended on layabouts. Yet, things ran like clockwork in most places, and that, to Junichi, was genuinely impressive.

Naturally, despite Cressida's warnings, she had to take part in drinks of all kinds, and Mayor Carter proved to throw a spectacular party in their honor. She was coaxed by Shishio, Zakura, Remus, Arza, and Dezna to try a mixture of Red Gold and Substance 21, cheering when she finally agreed.

"Huh boy…" Cressida muttered, and sure enough: hardly a few minutes later, Junichi was half-conscious under a table, randomly muttering things about rainbows and lightning as Cressida dragged her back to the train for the next day's trip to District 7...


	9. Stop Seven: District 7

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _So I've decided that at the latest, I should be able to crank out a chapter here every month or so (or every 30-31 days; whatever). This has never been one of my more popular fanfics, and my inspiration for it tends to come in short bursts. Thanks for everyone who has borne with me so far in that regard, because I'm going to finish it no matter what it takes. I've put too much into it to take it down._  
_Anyhoo, District 7 was actually fairly tricky because I wasn't sure how to portray them. They don't have notorious reputations the way most of the other districts do, apart from being lumberjacks. They are rebellious, but not overtly so the way districts like '8 and '11 are, and so after pondering that, coupled with their rural environment and status as a middle-class district that performs fairly well in the Hunger Games, and eventually I was able to come to a few conclusions as to what it might be like. Also, we get to say hello to a familiar face as our tour guide this time around._  
_So with that all said... Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop #7: District 7**

Nearly every district seemed to have a quirk. District 6 was notorious for its rampant drug abuse, an endemic that gripped almost the entire populace there, which was impressive enough considering how massive and populous it really was. District 7, by contrast, was very straightforward in what it was. These were hardy citizens that were strong enough to produce plenty of victors in the Hunger Games, but also rebellious enough to cause a bit of trouble if they decided they felt a little mutinous.

As Junichi prepared for the day, she pondered what she'd talk to Cressida about today. Was there a mystery surrounding District 7 the way there was with almost all the other districts, or were they so straightforward in their mindset and action that the mystery was how easily they could pull it off?

Considering that she planned to keep her look consistent for every district they stopped in, Junichi's spiky blue hair, black heels, and frilly outfit of black and blue was her go-to getup for today's stop just as it had been for all of the others. After she was ready, she continued her daily morning ritual of getting some breakfast as she joined Cressida in the main car for the briefing of today's district.

"What's the word on District 7 then?" she asked as the landscape whizzing past them on the train started to become greener and more forested.

"The secret to District 7 is that they don't really have a secret," Cressida cracked a smile as she began, "they let the reputations of the other districts build up around them, and so when they present themselves at face value to outsiders, people think that they're bluffing or hiding something. They do have a black market, but that's hardly the same as covert revolutionary operations or oaths of secrecy. Think about it: District 5's got the whole mystery vibe going on; District 4 marches to its own beat; District 3 is always concocting some new way to outsmart their enemies; District 6 has rampant drug abuse coupled with mysteriously adept performance overall, and I'll give you briefings on some of the other districts' reputations as we reach them. On the other hand, the lumberjacks of District 7 are just as rowdy and rebellious as they come off as. That's all there is to it."  
"There has to be more than that though." Junichi argued. "That makes them sound like simpletons."

"Ha," Cressida chirped, "that couldn't be farther from the truth. They're feisty and cunning, and the hard labor they perform makes them often times similar to the likes of '11 or '12 in terms of strength and resilience. Similar to District 5, they can be hit and miss in the arena, but in all-out war, they're the ones that'll go into guerilla warfare and probably win."  
"You make it sound like there's going to be a war within hours of our arrival!"  
"Nothing so fanciful, but I'm sure we'll get an interesting reception when our train pulls to a stop. The last couple of victors from here have been rather feisty. This is also where Kara lives, and that woman's a natural born leader. If anything happens around here, I imagine it goes through her first."  
"With skill like that, she ought to be in government!" Junichi chuckled.

"Mayor Kumani does sometimes come to her for advice. I'm not entirely sure what else goes on, but perhaps today and tonight we can find out. Pull on your lucky underclothes, because here we come."  
The train had begun to slow down, disappearing through a tunnel and then suddenly surrounded by trees. This station was much smaller than the one from District 6, and was actually one of the smaller stations in Panem considering District 7's location in one of the corners of the country. Most of the transporting was done within the district, as the massive trees and logs were processed on-site before the finished products were shipped off to the Capitol.

As the train screeched to a halt, Cressida and Junichi stepped off and onto the platform and got a chance to have a look around before the mayor and their escort arrived. Junichi wondered which of the victors (for it was always a victor) would be accompanying them on their tour of the district, but was suddenly not in any rush. The towering trees that surrounded the little station and dwarfed it were breathtaking to behold, and the breeze that rustled the leaves high above them was soothing to her ears, especially after the hustle and bustle that had been District 6. Luckily the Capitol trains were much quieter as they flew down the tracks across Panem, but even then, the serenity of this district—or at least this part of the district, was a delightful break from the urban centers that had been District 6 and District 5.

The serenity was disrupted by a long-haired man and a short-haired woman who were coming their way, bickering about something or another. Both of them appeared to be in their mid-40s, but Junichi had a lingering feeling that despite their bickering like one, that they were not actually a married couple.

Immediately they froze upon noticing the two Capitol women waiting patiently on the platform. The woman froze for only a split second before bursting into a ranting that could put a Capitolite to shame.

"I swear if you gripe about it one more time, Kumani, I'll strip to my shoes and give 'em the tour in the buff. You know I will—don't try me!"

"Mason, for hell's sake, at least try to show some manners to our guests, who I'm PRETTY SURE can HEAR YOU from here…"  
"If they're anything like you say they are, odds are they won't only not give a shit, but also might find this whole spectacle amusing. This is NOT the end of the world."

"Maybe if you showered before throwing those rags you call clothes on, I'd be a bit less worried. They document this sort of thing."  
"Fah; like I said, I'll take 'em off if you want."

"Your devious little setup won't work on me, Mason. Now, how about we ignore the fact that your top and shorts look like you ran them through a sander and greet our guests?"

True to the woman's assumption, Cressida was biting her gums and Junichi had actually started giggling.

"I apologize for the spectacle," the man stepped up, "I'm Mayor Naesala Kumani, as you probably knew, and this renegade hobo pretending to be your tour guide for the day is Johanna Mason."

Cressida couldn't help but snort at the term 'renegade hobo', while Junichi giggled again. For being 'the serious one' of the two of them, it was taking some serious willpower for Cressida not to drop her professionalism and burst out laughing alongside her blue-haired friend.

"Cressida; Junichi…" Johanna recognized the two women. Her casual and fiery tone was not lost on them, but unlike most of the Capitolites these two, particularly Junichi, tried to keep a down-to-earth persona that reflected their ability to be easily approached. This was part of what made the latter of the two so well-liked among the past victors.

"Normally I am not even worried much about formality myself," the mayor admitted, "but I imagined the event was going to be of a larger scale and more televised."

"And you know I don't give a damn about presentability." Johanna laughed.

"that's the problem," Naesala elbowed her, "and if you keep blundering, someone's gotta fill in."

"Hey now; I resent that!" Johanna raised her eyebrow, still laughing.

"Resent it all you want!" Naesala retorted, "you know it's true!" He paused before turning back to Cressida and Junichi. "Anyways… hopefully she doesn't try to get you lost on a snipe hunt or anything.

"Just because it happened to you once doesn't mean I'd treat our guests that way!" Johanna indicated, before turning to Cressida and Junichi. "come; there's much to show you around here. District 7's a big place without all the hustle and bustle of District 6."

Similar to District 6, Johanna led the Capitol pair to a truck to help them get around. Cressida was slightly worried about a woman like Johanna getting behind the wheel, but she and Junichi both stayed silent in that regard as they took off to explore the district.

True to Johanna's word, it was an expansive place, but most of it was forests and trees rather than factories, rail lines or industries.

"Look around you," she began, "everything you see is how District 7 operates. We don't have drug circles, hushed conspiracies, or vows of secrecy like those districts before us. We've got a black market, but I'm pretty sure every district apart from '1, '2, and maybe '3 does. I'm not entire sure though, so don't go citing me on that or anything."

Cressida nodded to acknowledge what was said, and Johanna remained quiet for a moment.

"I don't want to come off as too rude or anything," she remarked; "just that there's not a lot to show here but trees, trees, and more trees. We'll reach the City Center in about 10 minutes."

It made sense to build the remainder of the city in the heart of the forest, because the number of large trees so close meant that it was a much shorter journey to the mills and factories where the lumber was processed into furniture, paper, and other such things.

This was one of several clusters of mills around a central hub, and Johanna informed them of this as they pulled into the center.

"Black market's over there," she chuckled, pulling to a stop. "Let's take a look at what's in there…"

This was the first time Junichi had been inside a place like this, and she could practically smell the sense of rebellion in the air. How a place like this was still standing and not surrounded by angry Peacekeepers was a mystery for the ages. Wooden furniture dotted the scenery of the building, and despite Johanna considering the place a 'black market', the more Cressida and Junichi looked around, the more it just seemed like a carpentry facility where people built furniture.

"Mason!" a voice called out, "you're late!"  
"I'm never late you old sod!" Johanna shouted as Junichi glanced around to see who was talking. "I arrive exactly whenever the hell I want to."

"My mother was asking about you," the younger man stepped up, "she says you missed another game of Red Maiden earlier."  
"Well, maybe that wouldn't have happened if you had volunteered to give our guests the tour instead of me, huh?" Johanna retorted, "or maybe Kara could come herself and tell me."

"riiiight; just like you told us you weren't coming?"

"I don't have time for this," Johanna quipped before turning to her guests, "Cressida, Junichi, meet Wilder Petersen, one of the cleverest bastards District 7 has to offer."

"What, just because I helped kick the family business into a district-wide shindig I'm suddenly famous?" the man chuckled, "but I apologize for my lack of manners. Ms. Kiya, Ms. Thatch; I am Wilder Petersen, son of victor Kara Petersen. I'm sure you've probably noticed, but there's an air of unrest here. It's probably not as bad as District 8, but we're basically waiting for our cue."  
"Where are all the Peacekeepers then?" Cressida looked intrigued, "if your district really presents itself at face value and your sentiment towards the Capitol is so negative, why are things still running so smoothly?"

"Because we haven't rioted yet!" Johanna laughed, "and trust me, if that ever happens, you'll probably see me decked out in warpaint leading the damn thing. We're basically just biding our time; letting '8, '11, and '12 take the heat while we slip under the radar."  
Junichi did not respond, but glanced from Johanna to Wilder, raising an eyebrow.

"She's right, you know." The man indicated, "we're essentially just going about doing our thing, and with my help and the help of a few others, we can make this whole black market thing look legit. Not all of the furniture here is for sale, or even usable. This is where the imperfect pieces return, and where a lot of people store wares of a less licit variety."

When he put it that way, suddenly this place looked less like a furniture factory and more like an under-the-table trading center—sometimes even literally. This was definitely the urban center of the district, and Johanna let them take their time and explore. She trusted them enough that they would not likely report any of the shady behavior to the Capitol, but they did still need to show her what most of the district did so that the report would be full enough.

As such, Johanna soon bade them farewell so she could take them to the outer parts of the district where the wood was chopped and hauled. There were a lot of large trucks in District 7, although there were few roads; mostly well-worn dirt paths cutting through the forests to help transfer logs and lumber back to the mills and factories. While there was sophisticated machinery in a lot of places, citizens were still up in the trees with axes, cutting off the smaller branches of the trees they were bringing down. Junichi suddenly understood why a lot of these children performed so well in the Hunger Games—many of the people up in the higher branches were small children, some of which were not even old enough to be eligible for the 'games. Johanna smirked as she watched Junichi's expression.

"I was doing that when I was 6." She quipped, "became wickedly good at it before getting dragged off to the games. You know the story from there."

Junichi, like many others, remembered the story of Johanna Mason, and how she had pretended to be weak and sickly only to emerge as a ruthless killer after most of the strong tributes had already eliminated one another. It was a sound strategy that had earned Johanna Mason her life, and so no one could really argue it either.

The stop in the Victor Village only confirmed what Wilder had already told them, Cressida and Junichi got to meet his mother, and learned that while Naesala was both supportive of the victors (and the rebels) and had a solid grip on the district, that Kara was the one that held a lot of influence because of her leadership skills and dauntless courage.

"Right near anything that goes out or comes into this place goes through me." Kara warned them, "we've got a pretty solid grip on the district when all is said and done, since I'm sure by now you've seen most of what District 7 has to offer short of us getting wild drunk."

"Careful," a younger victor named Resin warned, "Kara's a moody drunk. If you haven't discovered it by now, you'll learn it tonight."

Despite the straightforward and slightly rowdy behavior of the citizens of District 7, even Cressida felt a certain warmth from them. As a middle-class district, they were used to living simply but comfortably, and thus were not spoiled like the rich citizens of Districts 5, 2, and 1, but also not impoverished and jaded like the citizens of Districts 11, 9, and 12. Cressida's remark on the train about how they presented themselves at face value was true though, and after a day of touring the major locations of District 7, both Capitol women knew it to be true.

Things did get a little bawdy that evening at the nighttime festivities though. Even Mayor Kumani got in on the action, and Junichi knew that it was her sworn duty to. She actually took up a drinking contest against Resin, Johanna, and Naesala, but right as they were about to start, an older man showed up and asked to join.

"Blight, you crazy bastard, where have you been?" Johanna seemed the most delighted to see this old fellow. "move over and make room, everyone. Here's the man that's going to cost us the game!"  
It was rare to see Johanna admit someone was better than her at something, but it only took a few minutes for Blight to drink everyone else under the table. Resilient as she was, even Junichi couldn't hold her liquor against this man, and soon she was slumped over, unconscious and in a fairly ungraceful position no less. Shaking her head, Cressida collected her later in the evening after organizing her notes. She had to get her friend back to the train, not only for the long journey, but because she knew that tomorrow's stop would be particularly interesting, considering their roles in the brewing revolution.

Tomorrow, Cressida and Junichi would pay a visit to District 8…


	10. Stop Eight: District 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I'm admittedly having a little trouble with parts of this fic, be it from lack of inspiration or from whatever else, but as much as I might sometimes want to just end it, I won't let anyone who's following it down. I've already done more than half the districts, and so they all deserve that justice and time in the limelight. District 8 wasn't even necessarily difficult; I just had so many other things on my plate both in writing and in real life that I just had to kind of find a time to stop and write this dang thing. Once I dedicated some time to it, writing it was easy, since the rebellious nature of the place went right in line with the "Mockingjay Rebellion" forming at the moment. And of course, Korra Francisco's tale is The 93rd Annual Hunger Games if anyone is interested.  
Anyways, sorry for it being late; hopefully I can get the rest of this stupid thing done so I stop stressing about it. Till then... here's District 8 in all its rebellious glory._  
_Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop #8: District 8**

While District 7 was dangerous because of the rowdy forwardness of its citizens among other things, Junichi and much of Panem was well aware that District 8 was notorious for the riots and rebellions due to their generally unfavorable views of the Capitol. Junichi wondered where this sentiment originated, since it was clearly long before her time, but perhaps this stop would explain it for her. Either way, it was a good thing those hangover pills existed, because the reputation of drinkers in District 7 had been well-earned, as Junichi had come to realize last night.

Or perhaps Cressida knew of the rebelliousness of District 8—or more precisely, the reasoning for it? Junichi knew the victors of Panem much more intimately than anyone else in the Capitol, but it was Cressida that actually knew a great deal about each and every district. These were the thoughts wandering through Junichi's head as she showered and prepped herself for the day. She knew that no matter how early she woke up, Cressida would be waiting for her.

Sure enough, Cressida was seated with a stack of papers in front of her, waiting for Junichi's arrival.

"Do you ever sleep? She had to ask, knowing that they were close enough friends that her remarks would not get misinterpreted, "and do you ever change clothes?"

"I sleep without pants on, but otherwise no;" Cressida replied, "I sleep like this, shoes and all." She had said this with such a straight face that for a moment Junichi almost believed it. This attitude of stoic neutrality was what made her so good at what she did. Perhaps Junichi could take a lesson or two from it—for despite her being actively in support of the Mockingjay Rebellion that Korra Francisco kicked off, no one in the Capitol questioned her loyalty.

"I think we all know a good deal about District 8 already." Junichi chuckled, "if they're not making the news for some riot or another, it's District 12 or 11."

"That's more or less the gist of it," Cressida nodded, "But despite your repetitive taste in fashion choices, the rest of the Capitol seems to take it rather seriously. Since nearly all of Panem's textiles and fabrics are exported from District 8, the Capitol keeps a pretty close eye on them. The citizens are fed up with Capitol rule. They riot, which causes the Peacekeepers to come down harder on them, which in turn makes them rebel and fight back even more. It's a vicious and violent cycle."

"I'm surprised that an urban district full of weavers and clothing designers can be such a threat." Junichi commented, "Especially in the Hunger Games in recent years."  
"They're no careers, but parents have started teaching their children to fight." Cressida warned, "they're preparing for a war that they know is coming. The DeSiete family knows it—and they've been hounded by the Capitol for nearly half a century."

"The death of Paige's father, Alice's parents, and Lyndis' father were no coincidence then?" This seemed more like a rhetorical question.

"Neither was Paige's reaping into the 73rd Hunger Games, nor Lyndis' into the 99th. The Capitol has tilted the odds against District 8 for years now, and the kicker is that they know it and are fighting it. I'm sure that we will be very well-received here."

The train began to slow down, approaching a small station situated in an urban atmosphere. It was certainly a stark contrast from the last stop, although Junichi wanted to tell herself that surely the entire district could not be this grungy. She and Cressida looked around before they were noticed by a girl in grey baggy clothes. Surely this was not the mayor; she looked far too young for that. She approached the two Capitol women nonetheless, because the three of them recognized each other immediately.

"Good to see you back, Thatch," the girl grinned, "you haven't changed much in the last year."

"How are you holding out, Lyndis?" Junichi used the girl's name, "it's already been nearly a year since your games, and a check-in felt like the right thing to do."

"That's not why you're here though, is it?" Lyndis narrowed her eyes.

"I hardly expected you'd believe me on that note alone," Junichi chuckled.

"We're here on business," Cressida clarified, "is the mayor nearby?"  
"She should be coming," Lyndis nodded, "she just had a few things to take care of… probably cover-ups and all that jazz. You know how we District 8 folks are."  
"Don't we," Cressida quipped, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "That's okay though. We will let her do what she needs to do."  
It was only about 5 more minutes or so before the mayor showed up, looking surprisingly sharp—much moreso than Lyndis did. While many people in District 8 were well-known for their surprisingly colorful outfits, the mayor was dressed in a sharp black business suit and was surprisingly well-kept. Her short golden hair was spiky and almost contrastingly untidy, and there was a dark grey headband tied around her forehead with the ends hanging down to her shoulders behind her.

"Cressida; Junichi;" she introduced herself as if they were already friends, "I apologize for my delay. There were things back at the Justice Building that could not be delayed."  
"No worries," Cressida cocked her head only slightly, "we're the ones who dropped in all but uninvited."

"I thank you for that," the woman nodded, "Scarlet Zorana's the name, although I suppose you already know that, and know why young DeSiete is here as well."  
"Someone's got to give us the grand tour of District 8," Junichi quipped. "and usually it's the district's most recent victor."

"Someone noticed the trend," Cressida smirked, "we'd love to see the machinations of District 8 up in person, Mayor Zorana. You know who we are."  
"And I know what you will report," Scarlet replied without skipping a beat, "Lyndis here will give you the grand tour, and she'll make sure you get the comprehensive lowdown of our wonderful textiles district."

All parties nodded, and it was clear that more was being said than was actually leaving the mouths of the speakers. What Scarlet was referring to, however, was not clear. Junichi and Cressida figured that they would find out sooner rather than later, so they followed Lyndis.

"Welcome to District 8," the teen began, "where they'll kill you if you riot, and kill you if you don't. There's not a whole lot to see here, although if you're fashionistas like the rest of your folks back home, you might actually like some of what comes your way. A lot of the exterior is not exactly pretty though. Our first stop is the factory zone…"

Sure enough, Lyndis led the two women to a smelly, industrial region where laborers from this rather formidably large district worked side by side in what some might describe as sweat shops. Here they seemed to work coldly but efficiently, not minding much of their surroundings other than a natural sense of alertness to make sure things ran smoothly.

"So how some things seem so cooperative here?" Junichi was always the one to ask the questions, although she and Cressida were both taking notes for the report. "If there are so many rebellions and uprisings, I'd have expected things to be a bit more hectic."  
"Let's ask a friend," Lyndis smirked before turning to the crowds. "Oy! Anyone know where Verde is?"

A few of the workers paused, and there were hushed whispered through the lines of workers. A few minutes later word returned to Lyndis, and a slightly grungy man appeared as if out of nowhere. Cressida and Junichi assumed his (lack of) cleanliness had something to do with where he worked, considering that this factory was not exactly the cleanest of atmospheres.

"Zoram Verde at your service," the man humbly bowed, "you must be our esteemed Capitol guests. The mayor old us a couple days ago that you were coming."

"We're simply here on business and observation," Junichi explained, "Although I know a certain auburn-haired woman from District 2 that would greatly benefit from reading our research."

Zoram's eyes lit up, and he knew exactly who she was referring to. While this was technically a trip done for the Capitol and Romula's inner circles to learn the states of the twelve districts without actually having to get their own hands dirty, Junichi and Cressida were in on it and planned to transmit certain information to future rebel leader Korra Francisco in District 2, as well as certain operatives in District 13, which wasn't actually gone.

"They're basically asking why everything runs so smoothly here," Lyndis clarified, "I mean, we do riot a lot and that sort of thing, and so I guess they thought we'd meet them with torches and molotovs."

"It runs smoothly because people me and Commander Paylor make sure it does," Zoram clarified, "We'll work our day jobs without quarrel, and each day we'll size up our odds of wreaking havoc. We've learned quite a bit from the Hunger Games, even."  
"Really now?" Cressida seemed the most intrigued about this tidbit, "in what ways?"  
Zoram motioned towards Lyndis without a word, and she seemed content to explain it.

"There's a reason District 8 tributes are not performing as sloppy as they did in years past." Lyndis explained, "we might not be expressly training for the games, but most of the children around here, including myself, are well-versed in the arts of combat and guerilla warfare—that way, in the event of a riot, we know how to combat the Peacekeepers and the Capitol forces."

Junichi understood the correlation and nodded approvingly. "Does every part of the district run this smoothly?" Junichi asked.

"We operate with deadly efficiency." Zoram nodded, "I don't know where Lyndis is going to take you next, but all of us—from the snazzy clothing designers to the grungy factory workers all know how to keep the Capitol off our backs when we need them looking the other way. It doesn't always work as well as we'd like, but so far so good, anyways."  
"That's a good idea actually," Lyndis smirked, "unless Ms. Kiya and Ms. Thatch have more questions, we can move on."

"Everything seems sound for now," Cressida nodded, "lead on."  
Lyndis led them to a fancier part of town, where sure enough, they met a collection of clothing designers, including a middle-aged woman and a much older man. Lyndis seemed to recognize them both right away.

"I'm surprised to see you here, Alice; Paige," Junichi smiled, turning from the oddly-named old man to his more sensibly named daughter. "you DeSietes have quite the hold on this district don't you?"  
"As long we keep getting dragged into the Hunger Games and winning, we're not going anywhere." Alice gave an ear-to-ear grin, his aged face looking surprisingly bright with that smile on it.

"Still…" he continued, "where are my manners? I suppose introductions are unnecessary, but it would be appropriate for me to introduce this fine facility you have set foot in. Welcome to the design studios, where Capitol fashion is born and dies, and then gets reincarnated a few months or years down the road. Anything you can think of, we'd have."  
"Of course," Paige quipped, since she knew Cressida and Junichi as well, "something tells me you two won't exactly take us up on that offer considering that I've literally never seen either of you wearing anything different than what you have now. Junichi… sometimes I really think you should recolor your hair once in a while."

"Nonsense!" Junichi laughed. "who would recognize me without my blue hair?" Still, after being introduced to the place, Junichi and Cressida both began looking around to take in the place. It was a lot less grey and drab than it looked on the outside; had things been fancier, Junichi might have thought that they were back in the Capitol with all the vibrant colors around her. Rooms and hallways branched off all over the place, likely to the studios of different artists and designers.

"I think part of the reason the Capitol puts up with our antics is because they take fashion so seriously," Lyndis explained, "there's not really much they can do about it either. Chances are they've capitalized on that though—and by that I mean we have."  
"I figured as much," Cressida chuckled, "I'll be sure to ask my superiors how important fashion is before I turn in this report. Their response might affect what I tell them, but probably not."

"Good to know you're not about to stab us in the back," Lyndis chortled as she continued the tour. From the designers' studios, she showed them the weavers and the warehouses, before heading towards the Victor Village. On the way there she took a turn off the main road and led Junichi and Cressida to a part of District 8 that they were unaware of—here there was a large, green, open park with flowers and trees as far as the eye could see.

"Beauty's Last Stand…" Lyndis smiled, "one of the few places in the district that doesn't reek of urbanized factories and shit. A lot of people actually come here to relax or to draw inspiration. It's only deserted right now because most people are still working."

"It's beautiful…" Junichi gasped, and for a moment the three women froze and relaxed to enjoy the serenity of this little place. It was almost like a home away of home, and while Lyndis didn't admit it, Junichi knew that this place was surely one of those that inspired hope and morale to these citizens. She certainly hoped it was, at least.

It was several long, relaxing minutes before Lyndis spoke up and snapped all three of them back into reality. It was relaxing to sit here in this place, but the rest of the tour had to be finished, and of course, there were festivities in the evening as District 8 would see off Junichi and Cressida.

"Next stop before Scarlet's party tonight…" Lyndis smirked, "the Victor Village. You've already met almost half of us with my family there… but you can also get a glimpse of some of the other folks too."

The District 8 Victor Village was similar to Beauty's Last Stand insomuch that it was greener and well-kept, but it was definitely not an extravagantly stark contrast the way the Capitol might be in comparison to the districts though. The victors seemed to be expecting them though, for at least two of them were out there on their front porches waiting for the Capitol women to arrive.

Victors Connor McIrish and Cecelia Sanchez were there to greet them, although they had very little to add that Lyndis or her mother and grandfather hadn't already revealed. Connor remarked that they hardly needed to mention the discontent that was brewing in the victor village here, and Cecelia commented that most of District 8 was in on supporting Korra the Mockingjay. She also mentioned that Connor would have a decent chance at outdrinking Junichi that evening, and naturally, Junichi was not one to turn down that kind of challenge.  
Incidentally, neither was Paige, it seemed. District 8's evening festivities were not as fancy and glamourous as rich districts like '1, '2, or '5, nor were they as glitzy as technologically savvy districts like '5 and '3, but they definitely won the award for the most colorful and beautiful banners and decoration. It was clear that the weavers and designers went all out in expression for these decorations, and it brought a smile to Junichi. These weren't just angry ragtag fighters. These were people who had a genuine passion for what they did, and that passion also spilled over into a burning desire for freedom from tyranny. Obviously Junichi and Cressida wouldn't report that last bit, but they had collected very positive notes for their friends in District 8. The riots would be mentioned only briefly, Cressida glazing them over and assuming that it was common knowledge; but she would then shed light on the many positive aspects that the Capitol would enjoy about the place.

And then of course came the drinking games. Cressida abstained as usual, opting to be the "designated dragger" after Junichi got wasted and ended up under a table, but at this point in the tour it was pretty much tradition, and both women simply accepted it. As Junichi became more and more inebriated, Cressida took this as a sign to start gathering her notes and saying her goodbyes. She bade the citizens of District 8 a fond farewell as she dragged her unconscious friend back to the train, and once they were safely on, the train began its journey from one district to the next.  
Tomorrow would be interesting—for tomorrow was taking them to District 9.


	11. Stop Nine: District 9

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This fic became something of a hassle, and were I not so close to finishing it I likely would have cancelled it. District 9 was tough because we know so little about it, and since it doesn't have a very large role in my story either, it was hard to really flesh it out. They live the simple life though, and so I figure this chapter and the next one will be similar in that regard. The last two ('11 and '12) will hopefully be better. In the meantime, here's to breaking a nearly 3-month hiatus as I finally get the next chapter of this blasted fic out at long last._  
_Happy Reading!_

**Tour Stop #9: District 9**

It was hard for Junichi to really put a finger on what to expect in District 9. After their stop in District 8, she was reminded about the formidability of the revolution, and knew that as they reached the final districts of Panem that it would only become more and more intense from here on out. As a result, perhaps the next couple of districts would be like a breath of fresh air before they headed into the heart of the rebellion for their final two stops.

Of course, these were just some of her shower thoughts as she prepared for the day. She knew that Cressida was going to be waiting for her when she got out into the main compartment, for while Cressida had seemingly been joking about not sleeping, Junichi was starting to think that it was actually true. She wasn't even sure she knew where Cressida slept at nights, although that might have been correlated with the fact that Junichi was usually wildly drunk every night since the tour had begun thanks to the heavy partying that went down in every district.

Sure enough, Cressida was waiting for her by the time she got out of the shower and had gotten fully dressed and everything else. This was the first time she said anything about it though.

"I was wondering when you would be ready." she quipped, "I thought you were still suffering from a hangover or something."  
"well geez," Junichi sat down and served herself a more proper breakfast, "how long have you been waiting for me?"  
"Well, I put some pants on around 3 hours ago, but like I said—I don't sleep." Cressida replied. "Normally I'd offer to show you in order to prove it, but there's no way you're coming back to the train sober in the beer district."  
"Right," Junichi nodded. She knew she had a choice in the matter, but given the amount of medicines and other resources the Capitol had at their disposal, she knew that there would not be any lasting adverse effects when all was said and done. Besides, while she maintained a calm, mature demeanor, that didn't mean she didn't know how to party and loosen up now and again. It was just a matter of moderation. Her days were the business end, and the nights were the party end.

"Anyways, District 9," Cressida continued, "as you know, it's not a very successful district in the Hunger Games. It lingers in that wealth bracket just above poverty, meaning that most of its citizens don't instinctually learn survival on a regular basis, and its relatively small population doesn't give it much to choose from."  
"It's still larger than District 12 though, right?"  
"Of course; but that's a double-edged blade. They have a far smaller percentage of rebellious survivalists than District 12, or even than the much larger District 11. What they have as an advantage is that they are not paid attention to. The Capitol doesn't think much about a bunch of beer-drinkers, and so if in the event someone from District 12 to accidentally decide not to like the Capitol…" Cressida paused and winked, "perhaps a certain sleeper district would come in handy."

"I see…" Junichi's lips curled upwards. "I suppose we'll get to see the true scale of this district in a few minutes, depending on when our train arrives."

It was only another few minutes before the train began to slow down, approaching a rather unremarkable little station. Surrounding them were vast expanses of amber grain flowing in the breeze, although in the distance were several large buildings; likely granaries and mills.

The tour stop here seemed much less formal than in the other districts, even the urban rebellious ones like '7 or '8. Mayor Kasha Loreziah was waiting for them, dressed fairly formally. At her side was a charming young woman in similar formalwear that Junichi and Cressida both recognized as Marian Greene. The train stopped, and the two women disembarked and approached the mayor.

"Junichi Thatch; Cressida Kiya, I presume?" she offered her hand.  
"Indeed," Cressida nodded, "I take it you know why we are here then?"  
"Of course," Kasha indicated, "there's not a whole lot to say or show about District 9, but we'll do what we can as we get around to it. Marian here will give you the grand tour. I'd recommend paying close attention to her—she might have a few nice words of wisdom for you."

There was a certain underhandedness in the mayor's tone that did not escape Cressida's ears. Was this woman in on the rebellion, or was she sarcastically poking at the two Capitol women because of where they were from? She would have to find out.

"District 9, District 9, District 9…" Marian began, "there's not a whole lot to say about District 9, just as Mayor Loreziah indicated, but there's more to us than just grains and beer. Onward."

The first place she took Cressida and Junichi was the fields. Most of them were predominantly wheat, but others were oats, barley, corn, and there were even marshy areas that had rice. The district was very spread out, and Junichi was fairly certain that if they took their time visiting each of these different types of vast fields, that they would likely be here all the way into the evening, and so she took Marian's word on it for the time being.

Vast as the district was, however, it seemed that it was considered an urban district because the center of population, which was located in the heart of a small town.

"Most of us are farmers or laborers, and so combat in the Hunger Games really isn't our thing," Marian explained, "There are a few lucky ones like Carver, Olivia, and I that make it, but the unfortunate truth is that most of us were just not cut out for that kind of combat. A trip to the victors' village would just be an excuse to say hi to Carver and Olivia."

"Unless you wished to tell us more of yourself," Cressida caught Marian by surprise.

"Ah… well I suppose it's been a long time since 'The Marian Sensation' was really a thing." Marian chuckled, "because other than that there's not much to tell. I worked in the fields before I was reaped 14 years ago, and then I somehow became something of a crazy celebrity once I reached the Capitol. They showered me with gifts during the games, and so I bagged it easily. They were rather boring, to be honest. No one really talks about '86, and that's quite fine with me."

"Surely there's more to it though," Junichi pointed out.

"In theory, sure," Marian shrugged, "I think the same thing happened to me that happened to Korra Francisco, only on a less traumatic scale. The Capitol used me for what it could, and then dumped me off when they realized I was of no further use or value to them. What they don't realize, however, is that they're looking at a district with more potential usage to Korra's endeavours than perhaps any other."

"And how do you reckon this?" Cressida raised an eyebrow.

"Look around you. What do you see?"  
"To be honest… there's not a whole lot to look at—but methinks that's where you're going with this."

"That's exactly where I'm going with it," Marian smirked, "Because there's not much here, both in terms of Hunger Games victors, and in population, District 9 gets overlooked a bit. They look to '10 and '11 for food mostly, and have their eyes on '12 because of the rebellion. Now, I'm not saying that all of us here are ready for that kind of a rebellion, but we've got a few eyes and ears around the place that are keeping watch. All we have to do is lay low, and no one will pay any attention to us. It works out in the end if you play your cards right."

There was a silence as the three women gazed out over the shimmering grain fields that spread out in every direction in front of them. They turned around, and then headed into the city. Marian led them to the granaries, which were busy with activity this time of year as the harvests came in. To her slight surprise, she ran into Carver while she was here.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" Marian quipped, "usually you're hungover till about 5!"

"I decided to sober up when I heard about our welcome guests," Carver retorted, "besides, there's going to be plenty of booze tonight and I'd rather not die from alcohol poisoning."  
"Carver, if you haven't died from alcohol poisoning by now, I'm pretty sure you're immune." Marian began, before pausing and turning back towards the Capitol women. "I apologize for that little diversion there; I got ahead of myself, and was disrespectful. These are the granaries where we store a lot of the stuff that goes to the Capitol. Lucky for most of you all, it seems we've got a record harvest coming in this year. Lucky for us… this isn't even the best part of the district."

The mills were the next stop on Marian's little tour, although she also mentioned that this was not her favourite place either. The lifestyle of District 9 proved to be a rather simplistic scenario, and since its population was much smaller than District 11, there was not as much excitement, and also not as much rebellion. Marian made this a clear aspect of the district's lifestyle to her Capitol guests, even indicating that most of what she was doing was on Mayor Kasha's orders.

A girl named Zelda Alto told them that children often worked the fields as early as 11 or 12 years old, and that some would get promoted to the mills or the granaries around 16 or 18.

"The real good jobs are at the breweries though," Zelda quipped, "in a couple years when I get to be about 19 or 20, I know exactly where I'm going to shoot for."

"What's so great about the breweries?" Junichi knew her question was somewhat rhetorical.

"The drinks of course," Zelda laughed. "The finest beer in all of Panem comes from District 9. Hell, the *only* good beer in Panem comes from District 9. We don't have any of that pretentious wine or spirits from District 1, and never trust any of that garbage that comes out of '6… whatever the heck that is."

Cressida stifled a giggle, and Junichi simply nodded.

"I take it there will be copious amounts of it to sample tonight?" she asked.

"Of course," Zelda laughed, "Heck, I'm not entirely sure myself, but I'd wager that most of the alcohol you tried in the last eight districts that wasn't from '1 probably came from here in District 9. There's a reason that we as an agricultural district are faring a bit better than our friends from '10, '11, and '12."

"That… actually makes a bit of sense, really." Cressida was taking notes the entire time while Junichi conversed with Zelda. "Thank you for your time."  
"It's not like I can go anywhere till tonight anyways," Zelda shrugged, "any time."

Marian had little to say in this regard that had not already been said, and so with a soft acknowledgement, she led Cressida and Junichi back out and towards another part of the district.

"So here's an interesting question that I'm not sure you know the answer to or not," Cressida piped up after a while, "Has anyone ever volunteered for the 'games out here?"  
"Not that I know of, but I haven't been alive long," Marian shrugged, "the person to answer that question would be Olivia Thurman. Since we're saving the best part of the district for last, we can make a quick stop over to the Victor Village to pay her a visit."  
On their way to the Victor Village, they passed by a young man carrying a small crate.

"And who is this?" Junichi wasn't sure why someone was going to the Victor Village that wasn't a victor, but she figured now was the chance for her to learn.

"Hey now!" Marian shouted, causing the boy to pause; he looked to be late in his teens; perhaps around the same age as Zelda, give or take a year.

"Need something?" he asked them.

"Our guests from the Capitol were curious about you," Marian explained, "and since I'm giving them the tour, it's my responsibility to answer their questions."

Anyone else from the Capitol might have gotten offended by the brash informality that District 9 had offered them thus far, but both Cressida and Junichi found it rather endearing and amusing, to name a few ways they would describe it.

"Well why didn't you just say so?" the boy laughed, "The name's Roy Keaton. I was just delivering some goods to Thurman's house."  
"So she's there then?" Marian asked.

"She's like 90 years old;" Roy quipped, "I don't imagine she gets out a whole lot."

"Looks like the two of you are in luck then," Marian smirked, turning to Cressida and Junichi. "Welcome to the District 9 Victor Village."  
It was easily the least remarkable Victor Village the two women had been to thus far. Only three of the houses were occupied, and because of this scarcity of victors, there was very little fanfare to the place; a stark contrast to the likes of Districts 1, 2, or 5.

"It's quiet here," Junichi glanced around. "I kind of like it."  
"It's definitely a rather peaceful place," Marian agreed, "The Peacekeepers around here don't really worry much about any kind of insurrection or miscreation thanks to our general level of complacence, and so they'll usually turn the other way if some of the locals decide to relax in the plaza. Hell, I've seen some of them slack off on duty out here too."  
"You seem to really enjoy the fact that your district is often ignored and seldom noticed," Cressida raised an eyebrow.

"Most of us do," Marian agreed as they approached Olivia's mansion, "we don't want to suck up to the Capitol, but compliance is easier for us considering that we don't have the fighting skills that '11 and '12 have. Moreover, we don't like being watched like hawks the way they are, and so at the end of the day it works out pretty well, wouldn't you say?"  
"I won't argue that," Cressida nodded as Roy left the crate at the doorstep and waved farewell to the three women, "It's insightful to learn that, if anything."  
"I do good work," Marian chuckled. "I really do."  
The meeting with Olivia was not very long-lived, and most of what they talked about consisted of things that Cressida and Junichi had learned from Marian beforehand. After they left her house, however, Marian grew a bit more excited.

"And now… we go to my favourite part of the district," she announced, leading them to a group of buildings that were clearly breweries. "This is where the grain goes to the best of uses."

The smell of beer hit their noses like a ton of bricks, except after a moment of adjusting to it, they realized that it was not all that bad.

"This is what makes life worth living right here. Are you ready for it?"  
"I've stopped and had drinking games with people from every district so far," Junichi stated with boldness, "I'm not about to turn tail in the most exciting drinking-game district in Panem."  
"Excellent…" Marian rubbed her hands together. "Tonight will be a night to remember…"

Marian hardly needed to make that promise, for Junichi had anticipated that it would be exactly that when she first signed up for the tour. When she first set foot in District 9, she wanted to know if the rumors of most people there being drunks was true, and after an evening with the locals, she found that it was pretty much true. Just like in the other districts, Junichi got in way over her head and ended up unconscious under the table, almost as if she was doing it on purpose this time. Cressida maintained her usual duty of making sure Junichi made it back to the train all in one piece. Junichi was even sober enough to compliment Kasha on a well-organized party, and she mentioned that this was "the best damn booze she had had all week". Even Cressida couldn't help but laugh at that one. She bade the citizens of District 9 farewell as the two women boarded the train. This stop was something of a breather, and the next one would be as well, which was nice when they visited so many other districts fraught with attention and rebellion.

Tomorrow of course, they would be visiting District 10.


End file.
